Montenegro Coup Suspect 'Was Russian Spy in Poland'

The Polish ambassador to Podgorica, Irena Tatarzynska, told BIRN that Russian military officer Eduard Shishmakov, one of the leading suspects in the alleged coup plot in Montenegro, was thrown out of Poland due to a spying accusation.

Tatarzynska said Shishmakov was a deputy military attache at Russia's embassy in Warsaw, but was declared persona non grata in Poland in June 2014, along with three other Russian citizens, because it was believed that they were involved in spying.

"For us [in Poland] it was a really unpleasant case, a deputy military attache was declared persona non grata. But for the Polish state, this case is over," Tatarzynska said.

"Now we have been informed that the same person was engaged with the alleged coup," she added.

But she said that until the results of the coup plot investigation were made public, it was too early for further comment.

Shishmakov was expelled from Poland after weekly news magazine Wprost June 2014 published transcripts of illegally-recorded conversations between top Polish officials including interior minister Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz, National Bank chairman Marek Belka, foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski and finance minister Jacek Rostowski.

As a result of the scandal, nine top Polish officials including Rostowski and Sikorski resigned, while Poland expelled four Russian diplomats. Two Poles are also facing trial for allegedly spying for Russia.

Polish media speculated at the time that Shishmakov was a spy but Russian officials denied this. Moscow also threw out four Polish officials in retaliation.

Montenegro's chief prosecutor Milivoje Katnic on Sunday accused Russia of orchestrating an attempted coup on October 16 in Montenegro in a bid to...