Belarusian state media reported Thursday that a Polish citizen has been arrested on espionage charges after allegedly possessing sensitive documents related to upcoming Belarusian-Russian military exercises.

According to Belarus-1 television, agents from the state security service detained the man in the city of Lepel, east of Minsk, along with a Belarusian national. The report claimed the suspect was caught with a classified document linked to the Zapad-25 military drills scheduled for later this month. Authorities said he also carried Belarusian and foreign currency as well as a SIM card registered to another individual.

“There is irrefutable evidence of the Polish citizen’s espionage activities,” Belta, the state news agency, quoted officials as saying. The outlet alleged that the Polish national had just received a secret military document before his arrest and was attempting to recruit a Belarusian colleague by offering money and small gifts.

Poland swiftly dismissed the claims, describing the arrest as politically motivated. “This is another provocation by the Lukashenko regime aimed at our country,” said Jacek Dobrzynski, spokesperson for the coordinator of Poland’s special services, in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki suggested the timing was tied to the upcoming Zapad exercises and warned that Belarus’s actions would trigger a response, though details were not provided.

The Zapad exercises, held biennially in Belarus or Russia, are closely watched in the West due to their scale and Belarus’s location bordering NATO members Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania. The drills underscore Minsk’s deepening alignment with Moscow, particularly since President Alexander Lukashenko allowed Russian forces to use Belarusian territory for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Relations between Belarus and Poland remain tense, strained by Minsk’s crackdown on dissent, support for Russia’s war effort, and growing military cooperation with the Kremlin. Lukashenko, in power since 1994, has leaned heavily on Russian President Vladimir Putin for political and military backing, particularly after the 2020 protests that challenged his rule. Russia has since stationed tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil, further escalating regional concerns.