Russian ice hockey player convicted of espionage in Poland

Russian ice hockey player Maksim Sergeyev, who had played for the Polish ice hockey club Zagłębie Sosnowiec since 2021, has been sentenced to two years and eleven months in prison on espionage charges.

Source: Polish website Hokej.net

Details: Sergeyev, 21, was detained in June 2023 and has been in custody awaiting trial since then. Sergeyev pleaded guilty, avoiding a potential sentence of up to 10 years.

The defender played only five matches for Zagłębie, having mostly played with the club’s youth team.

Sergeyev lived a double life. He was recruited by the FSB through Telegram and initially given simple assignments such as posting political content on social media in exchange for cryptocurrency.

Later his missions became more complex. He photographed strategic sites such as the railway station in Przemyśl and an arms factory in Silesia. He even rented an apartment overlooking a military equipment plant. When he was apprehended by Poland's Internal Security Agency, documents relating to the Wagner Group were found on his laptop.

According to the Russian media outlet Novaya Gazeta, Sergeyev will remain in prison until May 2025, after which he will be deported to Russia. 

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