Poland accuses Ukrainian of spying after drug arrest

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WARSAW (Reuters) -One of two Ukrainians detained for drug possession had shared photographs and coordinates of critical Polish army infrastructure with a Russian speaker, Polish prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Poland says it has been targeted with tactics such as arson and cyberattacks in a “hybrid war” waged by Russia to destabilise nations that support Kyiv in the Russian war in Ukraine. Moscow has denied such accusations.

Two Ukrainians, identified only as Bohdan K. and Kyrylo T. under Polish privacy law, were detained in Biala Podlaska, Eastern Poland, for possessing 30 grams of illegal drugs.

“Correspondence was revealed on a secured telephone belonging to Bohdan K., which shows that he had been providing a Russian-speaking person with photographs and geographical coordinates of critical infrastructure at the disposal of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland,” prosecutors said.

The man was charged with acting for the benefit of foreign intelligence and providing intelligence with information harmful to state security. A court detained him for three months pending further investigation.

“The suspect pleaded not guilty and expressed pro-Russian views and questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty,” the statement said.

The other man, Kyrylo T., was charged with possession of illegal drugs and was released.

(Reporting by Anna Koper; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)