Russian man arrested in Poland on espionage charges after photographing trains

Police detained a 55-year-old Russian man in the city of Świdnica, in Poland’s Lower Silesian Voivodeship, after he photographed trains and railway infrastructure, the newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported.The detention came during a police operation to secure a soccer match. After the game ended, officers patrolling the city noticed a parked car near a railroad crossing. The man inside tried to flee when he spotted the police.After stopping him, police found professional photography equipment and files showing he had photographed trains and critical railway and transportation infrastructure, not only in Poland.He has been charged with espionage, and a court ordered him held in custody for three months. Under Polish law, the offense carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison. His name has not been released.Poland’s special services coordinator Tomasz Siemoniak called the detention of the Russian man an “exceptional case.” He explained that Russia is conducting subversive activity in Europe, which requires preliminary reconnaissance and documentation. However, he said, Russian intelligence services have so far avoided sending Russian citizens “to the front lines,” preferring to use local agents who are paid for their work.At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.