Russian Spy Detained In Poland
January 6, 2010

It has been revealed that Poland's Internal Security Agency detained a spy last year who worked for Russia's largest foreign intelligence agency, GRU.

The arrest up until now has been confidential and only the president, prime minister and prosecutors know about the case.

The daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna says it has established that at the turn of February and March 2009, after several months of investigation, the Internal Security Agency (ABW) decided to arrest the man. Since then he has been held in custody under questioning.

Details about the identity of the man are sketchy. He has lived in Poland for ten years. He ran a small company, selling sights for hunting rifles. He had a permanent resident card and could speak Polish very well. According to the newspaper's informants close to the government, the Russian embassy in Poland did not know about his activity because he reported directly to GRU.

Polish security officers, who have been awarded for their work, also found signaling equipment in his flat.

"It's the first case since 1989 when a Russian spy was detected," says an employee of the Chancellery of the President, explaining why the officers were rewarded by the head of state.

In March last year, the Russian spy was detained in Poland. In April, President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev dismissed the head of GRU General Valentin Korabelniko, who had been in charge of the agency for twelve years. Polish media are suggesting the two events are not unconnected.