Poland arrests suspected Russian spy. Will expel 4 Russian diplomats

Poland’s security agents have detained an Energy Ministry official on suspicion of providing Russia with secrets about Polish energy sector The official, who has been identified only as Marek W (name withheld under Polish privacy law) is suspected of providing Moscow with the information on how Warsaw intended to block the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which Poland opposes and sees as an attempt to strengthen Gazprom’s dominant position, limit competition and increase Europe’s dependence on Russian gas. At the same time, Poland announced that it will expel four Russian diplomats following the murder attempt on the former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal on the British soil. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ decision was dictated by solidarity with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and with our EU and NATO allies. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs absolutely condemns the attack using chemical weapons against Sergey Skripal. The attack in Salisbury shows that a similar immediate threat to the territory and citizens of EU and NATO member states can happen anywhere,” Polish MFA said in a statement. On the same day, the US announced expulsion of 60 of Russian diplomats, which according to the White House were all spies. Moreover, the US ordered to close the Russian consulate in Seattle due to its proximity to the US submarine base and Boeing’s headquarters. Furthermore, at least 21, including Canada, France, Germany, Czechia, and Lithuania ousted 135 Russians, including 23 kicked out earlier by the UK. Most of them were diplomats, acting as spies according to governments. Moscow threatened to retaliate, suggesting it would kick out an equal number of foreign diplomats. “This is an attempt on the lives of Russian citizens on the territory of Great Britain. It goes without saying that this unfriendly move by this group of countries will not go unnoticed,” Russian MFA said. Earlier this month, Skripal, a former double agent, and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping center in Salisbury after they were poisoned. The two remain in critical condition in a hospital. The authorities were able to confirm, that Novichok, a nerve agent developed by the Soviet military in the 1970s and 1980s was used to poison them. Skripal was arrested in Moscow in 2004. He was later sent to the UK in exchange for captured Russian spies.