In Bydgoszcz, a Pole is being tried for espionage. He traveled to Belarus with an acquaintance and was interrogated at the border

Illustrative photo. Photo: pixabay.com

According to the investigation, Viktor Z. collected and, in the spring of last year, tried to transmit information about the NATO Joint Force Training Centre, Bydgoszcz airport, a military aircraft factory, and the Nitro-Chem enterprise — a strategic producer of TNT for NATO countries. However, the real recipients of the data were not Russian special services, but Polish ones.

"You are a man with the right views"

By education, Viktor Z. is a pianist; he also graduated from the faculty of applied linguistics. The man speaks German and Russian fluently and is fascinated by Russia. He was also keen on ASG — a military-tactical game, a type of paintball. Thanks to this hobby, he met a girl named Marta, whom he tried to impress. She is now testifying in court.

As Viktor noted, he went to Belarus for tourist purposes with an acquaintance, Valery, a Belarusian, and his then-girlfriend Daria.

"He recounted that some internal security service detained him at the border. They spoke with him and another Ukrainian, inspected his phone, and asked about his political views, his attitude towards Russia and Belarus. He showed his photos in Soviet uniform," Marta said. "He didn't say that any offer of cooperation with foreign services was made then. He provided information about where to stay in Belarus and his contacts. 'You are a man with the right views,' he heard [from the Belarusian officer]."

Valery came to Poland for work and met Viktor, who was his coordinator from the employment agency. He explained to the Pole that such thorough checks of Poles and Ukrainians at the border are normal for Belarus. The Belarusian believed that border guards were behind this. However, Viktor probably attached greater importance to this interrogation, believing it was conducted by the KGB.

In conversations with Polish acquaintances, the man did not hide his pro-Russian views, hoped for Russia's victory in the war with Ukraine, and called Ukrainians Banderites, fascists, and Nazis. Additionally, he mentioned NATO facilities and wondered what would happen if information about them "leaked to the East."

"You don't know me, but I know you"

How exactly Polish special services learned about Viktor's intentions is unknown. But on March 12, 2025, he contacted Marta, saying he wanted to talk. In a car in the supermarket parking lot, he showed the girl a message from the Russian side: they had established contact with him and wanted to invite him to cooperate. Viktor was excited and believed this was a consequence of last year's conversation at the Belarusian border.

The message was written in Russian. It said: "You don't know me, but I know you."

In reality, behind the message was not Russian intelligence, but an officer of the Polish Internal Security Agency. Viktor Z. exchanged several emails with him, after which he was arrested on June 4, 2025.

The next court hearing will take place on June 8. Viktor will remain in custody until at least August 28.

• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0