Canadian teen Laken Pavan recruited by Russian agents for espionage in Poland, arrested May 23, 2024, pleaded guilty and sentenced to 20 months in prison.

In May 2024, Canadian teenager Laken Pavan, then 17, was arrested in Warsaw, Poland, after confessing to being recruited by Russian intelligence in occupied Donetsk, Ukraine. Pavan had traveled from Vancouver to Turkey, Moscow, and then Donetsk, where he was pressured by an agent of Russia's FSB into spying on the Polish military. Provided with a cellphone and SIM cards, he was tasked with gathering military information in Poland but confessed his espionage activities after getting drunk at a hotel bar. Pavan pleaded guilty in a Warsaw regional court and was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment, with leniency given due to his confession and cooperation. His family believes his Canadian military family background made him a target for Russian recruitment. Legal advisors contend Canadian intelligence agencies were aware of his intentions prior to travel but failed to intervene. The case highlights Russia's broad recruitment efforts targeting young individuals to harass NATO countries. Ongoing diplomatic efforts aim to transfer Pavan to Canada to serve the remainder of his sentence. This arrest and conviction represent a confirmed Russian intelligence operation employing human intelligence assets against Poland, a NATO member state.