The spokesman for the minister-coordinator of special services called the FSB’s announcement of the detention of two “agents of Polish services” in Kaliningrad a provocation and disinformation. The Foreign Ministry says it is verifying the information but calls for caution.
What the FSB announced
On Wednesday, 11 November, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had broken up a “Polish special services intelligence network” operating in the Kaliningrad region. According to the FSB, two agents were detained: one from the Military Intelligence Service (SWW) and one from the Internal Security Agency (ABW). They were allegedly collecting information on military personnel and facilities, as well as on the socio-economic situation in the region.
The FSB added that seven people with Polish citizenship and three people from Russia who had contacts with Polish services had been “officially warned,” and Poles had been banned from entering Russia. It also published a video of the alleged detentions, as well as documents and phone messages in Polish. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reportedly said the detentions would not worsen relations with Poland, because those relations “basically do not exist.”
Warsaw’s response
Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesman for the minister-coordinator of special services, wrote on X that he does not comment on materials from Russian services, and on Independence Day he treats them “especially as another provocation and disinformation.” He called on people not to repeat hostile narratives.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Maciej Wewiór said Poland is verifying the FSB’s information but called for “exceptional caution.” He said people should not fall for Russian propaganda or become pawns in this game.
Assessments and context
Former spokesman for the special services Stanisław Żaryn assessed that the materials are fabricated and prepared in advance, and that the FSB announcement will serve to justify earlier accusations that Poland is preparing an attack on Kaliningrad. His post was published on X on 11 November.
The FSB report came a week after six people were detained and charged in Poland on suspicion of illegally exporting military components to Russia via Kaliningrad. At the beginning of November, Poland also deployed additional forces to regions near the border with Russia following information about planned sabotage. We wrote about earlier Russian narratives around Kaliningrad in an article on two contradictory propaganda narratives, and about the FSB announcement itself in our earlier report.
As of publication, Polish services have not confirmed that anyone has been detained in Kaliningrad.
