In an ongoing espionage case, prosecutors said on Wednesday they had charged Pavel Rubtsov, who also operated under the alias Pablo Gonzalez, with espionage.
The proceedings against Rubtsov, who will be tried in absentia as allowed by Polish law, underscore the broader geopolitical tensions and the intricate challenges of counterintelligence efforts in the region.
The indictment, filed at the District Court in the southeastern city of Przemyśl, on August 9, alleges that Rubtsov, posing as a Spanish journalist, gathered intelligence for Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU, and sought to infiltrate Russian opposition circles, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The National Public Prosecutor's Office said the espionage activities were aimed at undermining state security.
"Pablo G. Y., also known as Pavel R., has been charged with participating in foreign intelligence (Russian military intelligence) from April 2016 to February 2022 in Przemyśl, Warsaw, and other places, with providing it with information that could harm the Republic of Poland, including as a NATO member state," the office said in a statement.
"The accused's activities included gathering and transmitting information, spreading disinformation and conducting operational reconnaissance," it added.
The case gained additional notoriety as Rubtsov was released from Polish custody as part of the prisoner swap involving multiple countries on August 1, the largest since the Cold War.
This international exchange included prominent figures such as Vladimir Kara-Murza, a leading opposition figure in Russia, Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, and a Wall Street Journal reporter, Evan Gershkovich.
Rubtsov, born in 1982 in Moscow and holding dual Russian and Spanish citizenship, was detained by Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW) on February 28, 2022.
Despite his release, the investigation continues, and he faces three to 15 years in prison if convicted.
The complex case also mentions a woman identified only as Magdalena Ch., a journalist and Rubtsov's partner, who was accused of assisting in his espionage activities but was not detained, suggesting weaknesses in the prosecution service's charges against her, the PAP news agency reported.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR/PAP, AP
