Belarus arrests Polish national on suspicion of espionage

5/9/2025 15:46

Belarus has arrested a Polish national on suspicion of espionage for having documents related to forthcoming Belarusian-Russian military exercises, media quoted state television as reporting on Thursday.



Poland said the move was a provocation that would receive a response.



The Belarusian state Belta news agency, quoting Belarus-1 television, reported that agents from the state security service detained the man in the city of Lepel, east of the capital Minsk. A Belarusian national was also detained.



Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is one of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's closest allies and allowed Moscow to use his country's territory for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, though he has said Belarusian servicemen will take no part in it.



Belta said the Polish suspect had in his possession a copy of a document outlining the Zapad-25 exercises due to take place this month. He also had Belarusian and foreign cash and a portable telephone SIM-card registered to someone else.



"There is irrefutable evidence of the Polish citizen's espionage activities," Belta said. "A few minutes before his arrest, he received a secret military document. All of this was captured on video."