Pablo Gonzales or Pavel Rubtsov, a Spanish-Russian journalist, was arrested in 2022 in Poland under the charge of espionage. The public was shocked when the man left Poland after the recent spy swap and was personally welcomed by Vladimir Putin in Moscow. A journalist investigation proves that he was not working alone. 

The FRONTSTORY investigation was published on 12 August 2024 and presented a full story of Pavel Rubtsov’s activities within the Polish journalist circles. 

As the portal informs: “When the ABW [Polish civilian intelligence service] detained Pablo González, the Russian spy was not alone – his partner, a Polish journalist, was taken into custody with him. The woman has been charged with aiding and abetting espionage since the winter of 2022, the prosecution confirms”.

One of the most important activities of the GRU spy was the invigilation of Boris Nemtsov’s daughter, Janna, who runs a foundation under the name of her father. According to unofficial findings by FRONTSTORY.PL, Nemtsova will be helping Polish investigators to analyse the material found at González’s home. In an interview with independent investigative editorial Agentsvo in May 2023, Nemtsova confirmed that she is bound by a contract with the Polish authorities and therefore cannot speak about the details of the case.

When Rubtsov spoke about the aid he received from his Polish partner he allegedly mentioned: “She trusted my story”.

Immediately after arriving in Poland, González started to become a social 'legend’ in Warsaw. By doing so, he can work out the circles of journalists and correspondents, as well as photojournalists and left-wing activists.

After his and his partner’s detention in 2022, the media started a round of speculation about the exact name of the person who helped the spy, as some detailed information indicated a small number of people working for foreign media such as France24 and Guardian in Poland. 

Finally, a Polish investigative journalist Cezary Gmyz identified the journalist in an X post, as France24 and Guardian correspondent Magdalena Chodownik. 

 Since this information, Magdalena Chodownik decided to delete her account on X. 

The social media users found her articles and video materials that presented a hostile narrative against the Polish border guard and military role in the ongoing migrant crisis on the border with Belarus. 

Here you can see one of these videos: 

The Polish public awaits information from the prosecutor’s office and further investigation, meanwhile, the journalist circles speculate if other members of the media world could be exposed for Rubtsov’s infiltration or even electronic surveillance. 

Photo: X @DariuszMatecki

Tomasz Modrzejewski