The Ukrainian Maksym L. was sentenced to six years in prison and the Belarusian Uladzislau P. to two years and 10 months in prison by the District Court in Lublin for participating in an organized group that spied for Russia. Its members were contacted by a man introducing himself as Andrei, who planned, among other things, derailment of a train carrying military transport for fighting Ukraine.
The judgment is not final. The court sentenced the Ukrainian Maksym L. to six years in prison and PLN 15,000. PLN fine. The man was responsible for activities in an organized group aimed at committing crimes against the Republic of Poland, espionage for the Russian Federation and possession of marijuana.
The second defendant – Belarusian Uladzislau P. – was sentenced for participation in the same group and espionage. He received two years and 10 months in prison and PLN 10,000. PLN fine. The defendants also have to pay PLN 5,000 each. PLN to the Victims' Assistance Fund.
The court sentenced the Ukrainian Maksym L. and the Belarusian Uladzislau P. TVN24
They determined what aid was provided to Ukraine
Judge Mirosław Brzozowski, justifying the verdict, stated that the defendants' participation in the criminal group was beyond doubt.
– It was an organized criminal group led by an unidentified man named Andrei, whose aim was to collect espionage information that was used to determine what type and quantity of aid was provided. Ukraine – he said.
They watched the station and the airport
The proceedings showed that 23-year-old Maksym L. and 30-year-old Uladzislau P. operated in the group from January to March 2023. They installed image recording devices on important cross-border railway lines that transport military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The group's task was also to observe seaports in Gdynia, Gdańsk, the airport in Jasionka and the railway station in Rzeszów.
The court changed the description of one of the acts mentioned in the indictment.
– The modification concerned the determination that the defendants acted in order to obtain financial benefits, because that was their intention. Both the accused Maksym L. and Uladzislau P. obtained financial benefits from this activity, the judge said.
In the case of Maksym L., the court announced the forfeiture of PLN 20,500. PLN of financial benefits, and Uladzislau P. lost PLN 8.2 thousand. zloty.
They have been in custody since March 2023
The court counted the defendants' stay in custody from March 2023 to September 2024 as part of their sentence. Due to the amount of the penalty, the lack of permanent residence in Poland and the fear of leaving the country, the court decided that both of them would remain in custody. The defendants and defense lawyers did not appear at the announcement of the invalid judgment.
An investigation by the Internal Security Agency conducted under the supervision of the Lublin Branch Department of the National Prosecutor's Office showed that 16 Ukrainian citizens Belarus and Russia took part in the activities of foreign intelligence, i.e. the 5th Service of Operational Information and International Contacts of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, directed against Poland. The group operated at least from January to June 2023, among others. in Biała Podlaska, Chełm, Medyka, Przemyśl, Rzeszów and Gdańsk. The suspects – including Maksym L. and Uladzislau P. – were detained in various places in Poland between March 3 and August 1, 2023.
The prosecutor's office stated in the indictment that members of the group contacted via the Telegram instant messenger a man introducing himself as Andriej, Andrzej or Gabriel K., as well as with other people using several different nicknames, such as “Barbados”, “Pink”, ” Mara” and “Secret Chat”.
Train derailment for PLN 10,000 dollars
“Andriej, who is in charge of the groups' activities, planned to derail a train carrying a military transport in Poland and Ukraine. For this purpose, he was looking for people among the group members and outside this group who would undertake this task for a remuneration of USD 10,000,” the prosecutor's office wrote.
Individual members of the group dealt with, among others: purchasing parts for cameras, purchasing and registering SIM cards, observing and registering selected facilities by phone, installing GPS transmitters on trains, recruiting new members, transferring remuneration and disinformation activities.
According to investigators, group members observed, among others, airports in Jasionka and Gdynia-Kosakowo, the railway station in Rzeszów, sea ports in Gdańsk and Gdynia, Zakłady Mechaniczne Bumar-Łabędy in Gliwice, a military unit in Przemyśl and a terminal at the Polish-Ukrainian border crossing Malhowice-Niżankowice.
They also put up leaflets with anti-NATO and anti-Ukrainian slogans
They installed cameras on railway routes, which – according to the services – “could be used both to identify the quantitative and qualitative military aid directed to Ukrainian troops, as well as to determine the exact dates and circumstances of its provision.” Members of the group also painted graffiti, printed and posted leaflets with anti-NATO and anti-Ukrainian slogans.
For performing specific tasks, the investigation revealed, group members received payments ranging from five US dollars for putting up a leaflet, to $300-400 for installing a camera, to $10,000. dollars for trying to derail the train. They were paid in cryptocurrencies.
One confessed and expressed remorse, the other downplayed his involvement
In November 2023, the District Court in Lublin received an indictment against 16 suspects of conducting espionage activities in the territory of the Republic of Poland and participating in an organized criminal group. Most of the defendants admitted to committing the crimes they were accused of and voluntarily submitted to punishment. They received sentences ranging from six years to one year and one month in prison. The court also ordered them to pay PLN 20,000. up to 1 thousand PLN fine and return the money obtained as a result of the crime.
On December 19, 2023, the court decided to exclude the case of 23-year-old Maksym L. and 30-year-old Uladzislau P. to separate proceedings. Their trial started on May 20, 2024. The 23-year-old pleaded guilty and expressed remorse. The 30-year-old admitted to some of the charges, but downplayed his participation in the group's activities. Both submitted applications for voluntary submission to punishment. The non-final judgment was passed on Thursday, September 27.
Main photo source: TVN24