Belarus accuses Poland of bribery attempt in diplomat scandal

The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the delivery of a note to the Polish chargé d'affaires, Krzysztof Ożanna. According to the BiełTA agency, the reason was an accusation of attempting to recruit a Belarusian diplomat in Moldova.

According to the Polish Press Agency, the independent Belarusian portal Zierkało reported that state television in Belarus aired a segment on this topic. The Polish intelligence services were alleged to have offered material benefits to the Belarusian diplomat.

The incident allegedly occurred in Chisinau. Polish agents supposedly offered the Belarusian representative in Moldova €100,000 (approximately $150,000 CAD) for betraying his country and cooperating with a foreign intelligence service.

A KGB representative described the situation as a "flagrant case" and announced a response from Belarus. Anatol Hlaz, a spokesman for the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commented that a number of international principles were breached.

Hłaz announced the issuance of a note and the undertaking of other measures. These are currently being considered by the Belarusian side. Meanwhile, the note, which serves as a reprimand, was received by the Polish chargé d'affaires, Krzysztof Ożanna.

Relations between Poland and Belarus have been tense since Minsk’s cooperation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Belarusian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, who initially allowed his territory to be used before the full-scale assault on Kyiv in February 2022, refused in the following months of the war to send his soldiers to the front.

However, Belarus continues, along with Russia, to engage in actions aimed at destabilizing the region. Migrants, deliberately brought in from crisis-stricken countries, have been sent across the Belarusian border since the summer of 2022.