WARSAW: Two Russian men arrested in Poland under espionage laws went on trial Wednesday for allegedly distributing propaganda for the Wagner mercenary group, a Polish court said.
Poland, a NATO member as well as Ukraine’s neighbor and its staunch ally, has repeatedly voiced concerns about Russia-inspired provocative actions on its soil.
The pair, identified by Polish counter-intelligence as Alexei T. and Andrei G., were detained in August 2023 for distributing leaflets for the Wagner group in Warsaw and Krakow.
The leaflets contained links to “recruitment websites” for Wagner, Russia’s most notorious mercenary group.
It was disbanded and reorganized after its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash last year following an aborted mutiny in Russia.
The two suspects, who face up to 10 years in prison, appeared in a Krakow court on Wednesday, its spokeswoman told AFP.
Local media reported that the pair had distributed stickers promoting the once-powerful mercenary group.
The stickers bore the Wagner logo, a slogan in English saying “We are here. Join us,” and a QR code directing people to a Russian website about the mercenary group.
“The Russians had on them more than 3,000 propaganda leaflets promoting the Wagner group. The material was given to them in Moscow,” the Polish counter-intelligence agency said in August 2023.
The suspects were set to receive “up to 500,000 rubles” ($5,000) for their activities, it added.
Two Russians appear in Polish court over Wagner ‘propaganda’
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Two Russians appear in Polish court over Wagner ‘propaganda’
- The pair were detained in August 2023 for distributing leaflets for the Wagner group in Warsaw and Krakow
- The leaflets contained links to “recruitment websites” for Wagner, Russia’s most notorious mercenary group
Air India 777 aircraft turns back after drop in engine oil pressure, regulator says
- The aircraft, which was headed to Mumbai, landed safely back in Delhi and the incident will be investigated
- Air India has been under intense scrutiny this year after the June 12 crash of a Boeing Dreamliner killed 260 people
BENGALURU: An Air India Boeing 777 aircraft had to turn back after a drop in oil pressure forced the pilots to turn off one of the jet’s engines, India’s aviation regulator said on Monday.
The aircraft, which was headed to India’s financial capital of Mumbai, landed safely back in Delhi and the incident will be investigated, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement. Modern aircraft are designed to safely fly and land on a single engine, if required. Air India has been under intense scrutiny this year after the June 12 crash of a Boeing Dreamliner killed 260 people. The DGCA has flagged multiple safety lapses at the airline, which was previously owned by the government till 2022. An Air India investigation into why one of its planes conducted commercial flights without an airworthiness permit found “systemic failures,” with the airline admitting it needed to do better on compliance, Reuters reported earlier this month.
On Monday, pilots observed a low engine oil pressure on the B777-300ER aircraft’s right-hand engine during flaps retraction after take-off. The pressure shortly thereafter dropped to zero and the crew shut down the engine and turned back as per procedure, the DGCA said.
“Air India sincerely regrets inconvenience caused due to this unforeseen situation. The aircraft is undergoing the necessary checks,” an Air India spokesperson said in a statement. The aircraft is 15 years old and has flown to locations such as Vienna, Vancouver and Chicago, according to Flightradar24. Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident.
