A Russian professional hockey player has found himself in some pretty wild legal trouble as Polish officials have arrested him and charged him with espionage, claiming that he belonged to a network of spies paid to gather intelligence.
Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office did not reveal his full identity, identifying him only as someone playing in Poland’s top professional league and 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.”
Polish justice minister and chief prosecutor Zbigniew Ziobro celebrated the hockey player’s arrest.
“Russian spies are falling one by one!” Ziobro said according to Fox News.”A spy who operated under the guise of an athlete was caught.”
If he is convicted of the charges, the hockey player will face up to 10 years in prison.
