Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said on Thursday the case would not go unanswered.
Belarusian state TV said the man, who is a monk born in 1998, was arrested in Lepel, Vitebsk region, for allegedly gathering information on the Russia-Belarus military exercises.
The broadcaster aired footage it said showed a KGB officer questioning the detainee, who allegedly said he was trying to obtain details on the exercises.
It also claimed the Pole, a resident of the southern city of Kraków, contacted a Belarusian via social media, offered cooperation “for Polish special services,” and sought data on military sites, showing a purported in-car handover of documents.
A criminal case for espionage was announced.
“This is another provocation by the Lukashenko regime aimed at our country,” Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesman for Poland’s security services, wrote on X.
"Polish security services do not use monks to collect information about military maneuvers," he added.
Sikorski told reporters on Thursday evening he had "initial information" and would not speculate.
“We know what this regime is; we know what to expect,” he said, noting that Poles, including journalist Andrzej Poczobut, are held in Belarusian prisons.
“We are already in inter-governmental consultations on how to respond. I am convinced the matter will not remain without a response,” Sikorski added.
The Zapad-2025 war games are scheduled for September 12–16 with around 13,000 troops participating, according to official figures.
Germany’s armed forces inspector general, Carsten Breuer, said 13,000 would be in Belarus and 30,000 in Russia, while Lithuanian officials offered smaller estimates of up to 30,000 Belarusian and Russian personnel.
Breuer said there were no signs the drills were a cover for an attack on NATO, while stressing German and NATO forces would remain vigilant.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP