The man, a Russian citizen, who has lived in Poland since 2021, was arrested on June 11 in Silesia in southern Poland, and is believed to be part of a Russian spy ring. If the ice hockey player is convicted, he risks up to ten years in prison, according to Polish media.
The man is also said to have been the fourteenth person from the same network who has been arrested.
— He enjoyed himself in our dressing room. He was like most players. When we went out to eat pizza or drink beer, he always came along, there were never any problems, says one of the suspect’s teammates according to Polsat Sport.
— All foreigners who played with us stayed in the same hotel. So Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians. There were never any quarrels or conflicts between them in light of the countries they came from. They stuck together. In addition, he was probably supposed to play with us next season, so this information was a big shock for me, says another teammate.
According to Polish media, the suspected Russian spy ring is said to have been used, among other things, to conduct intelligence activities, including monitoring railways, as well as spread propaganda against Poland and NATO.