Polish authorities have arrested two Russians who distributed propaganda material about the Wagner mercenary group in Warsaw and Kraków, Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński said Monday.
Poland’s Internal Security Agency, working with the police, identified the two Russians and both are now in custody facing espionage and other charges, Kamiński said in a social media post.
The arrests came after posters featuring Wagner’s skull logo reportedly appeared on the streets of Kraków, with a QR code which led to a recruitment page for the Kremlin-funded paramilitary group.
“We are here,” the Wagner poster pronounced, adding: “Join us.”
Kraków local councillor Łukasz Wantuch published a photo of one of the posters on Facebook, calling it a “provocation” and adding that it was happening “not only in Kraków.”
Earlier this month, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki had warned that Wagner might carry out “sabotage actions” in his country, and said the threat should not be underestimated.
Some Wagner troops moved to Belarus from Russia under a deal to end the group’s 24-hour rebellion against Moscow led by its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in June. The move sparked concern among Belarus’ neighbors, and saw Poland move some of its military units to the east of the country, closer to the Belarus border.
