Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski announced Monday that the Internal Security Agency arrested two Russians on espionage charges. The Internal Security Agency alleges that the Russians distributed Wagner Group propaganda in Krakow and Warsaw. The activities of the Russian defendants may have violated Article 130 § 1 of the Polish penal code, which states, “Anyone who takes part in the activities of a foreign intelligence service against the Republic of Poland is liable to imprisonment for between one and 10 years.”

The arrests come at a time of heightened tension in Poland due to an increase in Wagner Group movements and training in neighboring Belarus, which is closely linked with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that any aggression toward Belarus will be considered aggression toward Russia.

Over the past few months, Polish authorities have cracked down on espionage. In April, the Law and Justice (PiS) party proposed amendments to the Penal Code that would increase the penalty for espionage from 10 years to 30 years imprisonment. The proposed amendments also included the addition of “unintentional espionage.” This variant would make individuals criminally liable when critical information is passed on to entities that a person “should and could have assumed is involved in the activities of a foreign intelligence service.”

Critics say the developments in espionage law risk violating human rights and could be weaponized by political interests. Mikolaj Malecki, a criminal law lecturer at Jagiellonian University, said amendments like the ones proposed in April “could also be used as a provocation against politicians and citizens who are unfriendly to the current authorities.”