After detaining ‘Polish spies’ in Kaliningrad, the FSB released their alleged messages in Polish. Native speakers say they contain errors and unnatural phrasing.

Russia’s FSB said it had detained two Polish citizens in Kaliningrad on espionage charges, alleging they gathered information about Russian military personnel and Defence Ministry facilities. But Polish-language messages shown in an FSB video have prompted doubts about the evidence: native speakers told Agentstvo that parts of the exchange sound translated and unnatural.

The FSB described the WhatsApp exchange as a discussion between an alleged agent and handler about a border officer’s appearance, age and rank. Court statements confirm the detainees are Polish citizens; one was arrested on 30 July and the other detained on 28 October. The FSB announced the alleged spy network on 11 November.