Mateusz Piskorski, Zmiana leader, is suspected of spying for Russia and possibly China, according to reports

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Polish prosecutors have detained the leader of a small, pro-Kremlin political party on suspicion of spying, the latest in a string of espionage cases on Nato’s eastern flank.

The Zmiana (Change) party claimed Wednesday’s move against Mateusz Piskorski and other police actions against the organisation were politically motivated and accused Poland’s rightwing government of intimidation.

Prosecutors did not disclose the specific allegations against him but Polish media reported that Piskorski, who founded Zmiana in 2015, was suspected of spying for Russia, and also possibly China.

He controversially visited Crimea to show his support for the Russian annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

Interior ministry special agents also raided Zmiana headquarters in Warsaw and the homes of several members, the party’s number two, Konrad Rękas, said on its website, adding that computer hard drives and documents had been confiscated.

Russian ‘spy swaps’: the cold-war cliche making a comeback Read more

Rękas blasted the actions as “an attempt to intimidate those whose views on foreign, domestic and socioeconomic policy differ from those of the government”.

Elected in October, Poland’s nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government is wary of Russia and staunchly opposed its takeover of Crimea.

Earlier this month, Polish prosecutors charged a Polish-Russian dual citizen with spying for Moscow, while in January, fellow EU and Nato member Estonia jailed ethnic Russian cigarette smugglers for spying for Russian secret services.

That incident followed a cold war-style spy swap between Russia and Estonia in September on a bridge spanning their shared border.