Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) and the National Revenue Administration (KAS) carried out raids and detained six people on suspicion of shipping components via Belarus to Russia for the production of combat drones, authorities said. Three suspects were remanded in custody, while the other three were placed under constant police supervision and barred from leaving Poland, according to KAS.
KAS officers from the Lodz Customs and Tax Office, working with ABW, conducted searches at multiple locations on February 18 and made the arrests. Prior to that, KAS said it had thwarted an attempt to illegally move to Russia through Belarus “equipment for automating the production of integrated circuits, used in particular in assembling combat drones.”
“According to investigators, the actions of Polish law enforcement may have helped disrupt supply chains of military equipment for Russian army units operating in eastern Ukraine,” KAS said.
Charges were filed the same day at the National Prosecutor’s Office. Under Poland’s sanctions law, the suspects face at least three years in prison if convicted.
On February 20, the Lodz-Center District Court ordered three of the suspects held in pre-trial detention for three months.
Investigators also seized cash in various currencies equivalent to about 400,000 zloty (more than $110,000).
Earlier, German authorities detained suspects over clandestine supplies of equipment to Russia’s defense industry.
In Brandenburg, a Russian citizen and a German citizen were previously arrested on suspicion of years-long support for pro-Russian armed groups in eastern Ukraine.
