Poland arrests Russian trainspotter on charges of espionage, family says railway photography is his longtime hobby
The 55-year-old Russian national recently detained in Poland on espionage charges is Moscow resident Alexander Mashovets, who has spent years photographing trains, airplanes, and other forms of transportation, according to a Facebook post by his sister, Kseniya Sukhorukova, who works for Russia’s state-run Pervy Kanal (lit. “Channel One”). The Insider found numerous train photographs on…
In a recent development, Russian national Alexander Mashovets, 55, was apprehended in Poland on espionage charges. According to his sister, Kseniya Sukhorukova, his passion lies in photographing trains, airplanes, and other modes of transportation. Ms. Sukhorukova shared this information on her brother's social media profiles after his detention.
Mashovets maintains an Instagram account with over 5,000 followers, where he shares his pictures of transportation across various countries, including Germany, Estonia, and Hungary. He has been photographing trains since at least 2023, as evidenced by his images on RailGallery, a specialized railway photography website. However, the website ceased operations in October due to criminal proceedings against its administrators in Russia.
Police in Świdnica, Poland, detained Mashovets while he was photographing trains and railway infrastructure near a soccer match. Upon his arrest, police found a plethora of photography equipment, including cameras, phones, laptops, and memory cards, along with hundreds of thousands of files containing images of railways, train stations, airports, and telecommunications infrastructure in Poland and other countries.
Prosecutors allege that Mashovets is part of a foreign intelligence service, collecting images of transport infrastructure and industrial facilities for transfer to foreign intelligence agencies. He has pleaded not guilty, and a court has ordered him to remain in pretrial detention for three months, with a potential minimum sentence of five years.
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