Someone Really Wanted to Listen to Poland's Cabinet Meet

Someone planned to listen in as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with his Cabinet on Tuesday, according to security officials, who say they found and "dismantled" bugging devices in the meeting room. "The State Protection Service, in cooperation with the Internal Security Agency, detected and dismantled devices that could be used for eavesdropping in the room where the meeting of the Council of Ministers is to be held today in Katowice," rep Jacek Dobrzynski wrote on X, per Reuters. He told a local TV outlet that the devices could record both audio and video, per Deutsche Welle. It's unclear who planted the devices or how long they were in place. Dobrzynski noted it was possible "these were devices installed years ago and not discovered earlier," per DW.

The Cabinet's usual weekly meeting had been moved from Warsaw to Katowice, the site of an economic conference Tusk is attending, per DW. "Ministers were due to discuss energy policy including the transition away from coal and a program to soften the impact of high electricity prices on vulnerable households," Reuters reports. It adds "Poland has been on heightened alert for spying" while serving "as a hub for Western military supplies to Ukraine." In recent weeks, Polish authorities infiltrated a suspected Russian spy network whose alleged actions included "organizing pro-Russian initiatives and media campaigns in EU countries," Poland's Internal Security Agency said, per Reuters. Tuesday's meeting reportedly went ahead as scheduled. (More Poland stories.)