Photo: Centralne Biuro Zwalczania Cyberprzestępczośc
Polish police have detained a Russian national on suspicion of carrying out cyberattacks against local companies, a statement from the country’s Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime (CBZC) notes. The man was taken into custody on Nov. 16 and stands accused of gaining unlawful access to computer systems belonging to Polish businesses. Investigators say he crossed into Poland illegally in 2022 and obtained refugee status a year later.
According to the investigation, the suspect breached the security of an online store, accessing its systems and databases and making alterations. His actions “interfered with the structure of these databases, which could have led to serious consequences for the company's operations and the safety of its customers,” as per the press release put out by the CBZC.
A court ordered that the Russian national be held for three months. Investigators believe he may be linked to additional cyberattacks targeting companies both in Poland and across the wider European Union. The investigation is ongoing, and further arrests and charges have not been ruled out.
In a separate case, Russian activist Igor Rogov, who arrived in Poland as a political refugee in 2022 and was arrested in Poland in August 2024, told investigators he had been working for the FSB and had been recruited while still in Russia. Rogov, a former activist affiliated with opposition groups, was tasked with collecting and transmitting information on other anti-Putin activists living in Poland, as well as data on the individuals and organizations assisting them, a list that included contacts at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Rogov and his wife are also tied to a separate incident: arranging the delivery of a package in the summer of 2024 that contained liquid explosives, detonators, and a power source. Court documents indicate that the first hearing in Rogov’s trial is scheduled for Dec. 8, 2025 in the city of Sosnowiec. If found guilty, he and his wife face charges of espionage and, potentially, sabotage, which is punishable by anywhere from eight years to life in prison.