On July 30, Poland’s Internal Security Agency detained Anuar B. in Bydgoszcz on suspicion of spying for Russia. It quickly turned out that he was a Kazakh diplomat who had been operating undercover as a spy. In Poland, this information was treated as an isolated incident, but in Kazakhstan the public is deeply engaged with it—though for somewhat different reasons. Here is an explanation of what the scandal is about.

Anuar B. (we know his full identity, as it has been widely reported in Kazakh media, but due to Polish standards we are using anonymization) worked as an assistant to the Kazakh military attaché in Ukraine. Ukrainian services most likely suspected him of cooperating with the Russians, but to avoid straining relations with Kazakhstan, they left the arrest to Polish authorities. One of the reasons was that Anuar B. was protected by diplomatic immunity in Ukraine—an immunity that no longer applied in Poland. The official charge is acting to the detriment of NATO member states.

The Detainee Becomes the Subject of a Civil Society Letter

The independent Kazakh portal orda.kz, which has faced harassment from Kazakh authorities, continues its journalistic investigation, including whether Anuar B. was a double agent or whether everything took place with the approval of Kazakh services. Orda.kz is trying to determine whether the Kazakh authorities are taking steps to secure Anuar B.’s release from Poland, and whether pressure is also being exerted on the European Union in this matter.

On the website of a human rights and civil liberties NGO, there is a letter addressed to the European Union regarding the case: “This arrest is direct evidence of what we have been saying for years. Kazakhstan’s security services remain systemically dependent on the Kremlin and often act in the interests of Russian structures, including intelligence and hybrid operations,” the letter states. “His activities reflect a long-standing practice in which the Kazakh military intelligence serves auxiliary functions to Russia’s GRU (Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation) and SVR (Foreign Intelligence Service). The fact that Polish authorities detained him on charges of collecting information about NATO military facilities is, for Europe, undeniable confirmation that Kazakhstan is engaging in actions that threaten European interests.”

The message of this letter is the expectation that, if discussions about releasing B. take place, the Kazakh authorities should first release political prisoners. However, the tone of this document may also confirm the theory that Anuar B. is an important figure for Kazakhstan’s government. The letter goes on to state: “We call for a public declaration that Anuar B. is not a ‘diplomat requiring protection’ but part of an intelligence network linked to Russia.”

The letter is signed, among others, by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Akhmedyrov Lukpan.