Poland detains 2 Russians on suspicion of disseminating Wagner Group propaganda materials

Poland arrested two Russians on suspicion of disseminating propaganda about the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary mercenary group based in Belarus, the interior minister said on Monday.

According to the state-run PAP news agency, Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Poland's International Security Agency, in collaboration with the police, identified and arrested "two Russians who had been disseminating Wagner Group propaganda materials in Krakow and Warsaw."

"Both men have been charged with spying, among other acts," the news agency reported.

Tensions between Belarus, a Russian ally, and Poland have risen in recent days, particularly because of the presence of the Russian paramilitary group, which found refuge in the Eastern European country after its short-lived mutiny against Moscow in June.

Last week, the Polish government announced plans to deploy 10,000 troops to its border with Belarus, accusing Belarusian authorities of facilitating illegal migration.

Poland claimed that the mercenary group, which is reportedly encamped in Belarus, could arm migrants crossing the border in order to provoke a reaction from Warsaw.