In a story that sounds almost too wild to be true, it appears that a Russian spy has been caught and arrested while posing as a professional hockey player in Poland’s top professional hockey league.
This week, Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office revealed that they have arrested a professional hockey player from Russia and charged him with espionage, claiming that he belonged to a network of spies paid to gather intelligence.
The prosecutor’s office did not reveal the man’s full identity, revealing him as someone playing in Poland’s top professional league who had been living in the country since 2021.
“In the course of the investigation, it was determined that the detainee was a professional athlete of the first league club,” a translation of the statement from officials said according to Fox News.
“In Poland, he carried out activities involving, among others, on identifying critical infrastructure in several (provinces). He kept his clients informed about the results of the reconnaissance, for which he received remuneration. The detained citizen of the Russian Federation has been staying in Poland since October 2021.”
It’s certainly a wild story, and it generated quite a few reactions on social media.
What would an athlete spy on tho? I'm really curious of his work.
— Teo (@phflre) June 30, 2023
gonna be a tough prison time for him…
— Denom R3get (@DenomR3g37) June 30, 2023
Good reason for the expulsion of all Russian athletes at the Paris Olympics 2024. https://t.co/CdYTcNutnE
— Graham Parsons (@gra123zer) July 1, 2023
https://twitter.com/davidtheleaf/status/1674782023934939138?s=20
oh boy https://t.co/RovIDU8OeJ
— . (@ehliters) June 30, 2023
— mol (@molfully) June 30, 2023
Hockey player-spy gets iced! ⬇️ https://t.co/5Wb1XTHJsU
— Larry Pfeiffer (@LarryPfeifferDC) June 30, 2023
If he is convicted of the charges, the hockey player will face up to 10 years in prison.
[Fox News]
