Beware of the Rooks: On Some Misunderstandings Concerning Russian Espionage and Polish Counterintelligence
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Nyzio A. - K122.pdf (347.85 KB)
Authors
0000-0003-1099-9375 Date
2026-06-27
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Katedra Bezpieczeństwa Narodowego Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Abstract
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has fundamentally reshaped Poland's security environment, pushing espionage and counterintelligence to the forefront of public debate. I argue that attention has become largely focused on the most visible manifestations of the Kremlin's intelligence activities, thereby overlooking their primary strategic objective: the long-term penetration of state institutions and decision-making processes. Rather than viewing low-cost agents as the defining feature of contemporary Russian espionage, they should instead be understood as one layer of a wider architecture serving this objective. Drawing on historical experience and publicly reported post-2022 espionage cases, I question whether the Polish counterintelligence model is equipped to address contemporary challenges and make the case for a more proactive approach. This requires not only legal and organisational reform but also a reconceptualization of Polish counterintelligence.
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Citation
Arkadiusz Nyzio, ‘Beware of the Rooks: On Some Misunderstandings Concerning Russian Espionage and Polish Counterintelligence’, KBN Commentary 2026, no. 5 (122), 27 June.