Poland detains Russian ice hockey player on spy charges

Poland said Friday it had arrested a Russian ice hockey player on suspicion of having spied for Moscow while playing for a Polish club.

The Kremlin said it was awaiting information from its diplomats in Poland, which it accused of having a "frenzied Russophobic position."

Relations between Warsaw and Moscow have been historically strained but have reached new lows since Russia invaded Ukraine, with Poland being one of Kyiv's staunchest allies.

Poland did not name the man, saying only he was arrested in the Silesian region in southern Poland.

Russian state media published his name as Maxim Sergeyev, who played for Zaglebie Sosnowiec in the south-western Polish city of Sosnowiec.

"The detained man is a professional athlete from a first division hockey club," said a Polish government statement, adding that the Russian national, living in Poland since 2021, was charged with espionage and remanded in custody for three months.

"On the territory of Poland, he carried out tasks for foreign intelligence, including identification of critical infrastructure in several regions," the statement added.

Although it announced the case Friday, Warsaw said the man was arrested on June 11.

According to the national prosecutor's office, the detained man is the 14th person arrested as part of an investigation into a "spy ring collaborating with Russian special services".

"The suspects, identified as foreigners from across the eastern border, carried out intelligence as well as propaganda activities against Poland," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Among their activities were "monitoring of railway routes" and spreading "propaganda against NATO, Poland and the Polish government's policy", it said.