Lukashenko’s long arm in the EU
Suspected KGB spy caught in Poland
January 9, 2024, 4:30 p.m
Because of persecution by the regime of dictator Alexander Lukashenko, many Belarusians are fleeing to Poland. But even there they don’t live completely safely. Lukashenko’s secret service KGB is probably also active in the EU and NATO countries.
Poland’s secret service has arrested a Belarusian citizen on suspicion of espionage. The woman, who was arrested before Christmas, will initially be in custody for three months, the public prosecutor’s office in Warsaw said.
The investigators accuse her of sending information to the Belarusian secret service KGB for months about Belarusians living in political exile in neighboring Poland. She is also said to have spied on organizations that promote contacts between Belarusians and members of the Polish minority living there.
The relationship between the Kremlin ally Belarus and the EU and NATO member Poland has long been tense. At the same time, according to the Polish immigration office, more than 100,000 Belarusians now live in Poland. Around 63,000 of them have a residence permit because they have taken up work. Many of the mostly young people have fled from the authoritarian ruler Alexander Lukashenko. With the “Poland – Safe Haven” program, the government in Warsaw is actively recruiting IT technicians and creative people from the neighboring country. In Belarus, which has a population of just over nine million, the Polish minority is estimated at just under 300,000 people.
After the peaceful protests against Lukashenko were suppressed in 2020, many Belarusians left the country, most of them to the West. In order to counteract the exodus of specialists and young people, the regime increased the pressure on Belarusians living abroad. In September, a law was passed banning Belarusian embassies from issuing passports and other documents. The regime is thus forcing Belarusians to return to their home country, where many of them are threatened with political persecution.
At the same time, the regime is increasing pressure on language schools and educational centers that offer courses to prepare for studies abroad. Belarusian security officials have been conducting regular raids on such educational institutions since December. At least three language schools that offer Polish courses were closed by the authorities and several employees were arrested.