Canadian teen recruited to spy for Russia, now sitting in Polish jail
B.C. family hopes for early end to 20-month espionage sentence
As far as Laken Pavan's family knew, he was backpacking around Europe, soaking up the sights.
But the 17-year-old had a different plan when he left Vancouver in April 2024. First he flew to Turkey. Then to Moscow, and on to Russian-occupied Donetsk in Ukraine.
And it was there that he was recruited as a spy.
"This is so absurd," said Andelaine Nelson, his mother. "He's a good kid.… He would have never done this had he not been pushed over the edge."
Nelson had only recently reconnected with her son. They were rebuilding a relationship that had been severed a decade before by divorce and family troubles. And they were in daily contact as he travelled, exchanging messages via WhatsApp and Telegram.
In early May, Laken told her he was in Denmark, working on a farm with some friends. A couple of weeks later, he asked for some money in order to buy a plane ticket to Warsaw. The last time they messaged was on May 22, shortly after he landed in Poland. A few hours later, he was in jail.
"I was told that Laken had been arrested and charged with espionage against the Polish government," said Nelson. "It was devastating. Like your heart sinks. It's your child and you can't do anything. I can't help him."
A hurried confession
According to legal documents and details from Polish prosecutors, obtained by CBC News, Pavan was arrested early on May 23, 2024, after he got drunk at a hotel bar and confessed — first to staff, then to police — that he was a Russian spy.
He told Polish investigators he had travelled to Donetsk intending to volunteer with what he believed to be a humanitarian organization, but was instead targeted by an agent of the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB), and pressured into becoming a spy.
Provided with a new cellphone and three SIM cards that he was to use to communicate with his handler, Pavan was told to travel to Warsaw to gather information on the Polish military and make contact with its members — despite speaking only English.
During a stopover in Denmark, he was instructed to report his passport stolen, and obtain new travel documents, in order to obscure his visit to Russia. And he was to be paid in cryptocurrency for his services.
Pavan was charged with "participating in the activities of Russian intelligence against the Republic of Poland," and pleaded guilty. In December 2024, a three-judge panel of the Warsaw regional court sentenced the now 18-year-old to a total of 20 months in jail, including his time served in pre-trial custody. In its judgment, the court said it had shown "extraordinary" leniency due to his confession and co-operation. He is scheduled to be released in January 2026.
Laken comes from a military family, and his father Kevin Pavan, a retired master corporal, served in Bosnia and Afghanistan. The teenager was a longtime Canadian Forces cadet, and then reservist, and had planned to join the army full time after his 18th birthday.
"It's always been a dream of his," said Nelson. "When he was little, he would line up marbles and pretend they were going to battle."
Concerns over military ties
The family believes he might have been targeted by the Russians because of his military links. And they worry that other young soldiers could be at risk.
A Department of National Defence spokesperson told CBC News that Pavan's time as a Canadian Armed Forces reservist ended in October 2024 — five months after his arrest in Poland. Citing national security protocols, the spokesman refused to comment on whether any practices or policies have changed in the wake of Pavan's confession and conviction.
Kevin Pavan declined an interview request. However, a Toronto lawyer who is advising the family says there are many reasons why the public should be concerned about this case.
"The family had to try to piece things together from talking to Global Affairs, and they were interviewed by intelligence agents. And what they've determined is that their son was under surveillance and known, long before he went into Europe and East Asia," said John Kingman Phillips.
If so, Phillips contends authorities should have stopped Laken before he left the country and dealt with him under Canadian law as a young offender.
"This is exactly the failing of the Canadian system and the Canadian intelligence and police network. They should have shut this down in Canada, focused on his rehabilitation and reintegration. But instead he's now suffering in a prison," said Phillips.
The RCMP declined to answer CBC News' questions about Laken Pavan's case, as did Public Safety Canada, the federal department that oversees CSIS.
One of Laken's close friends told CBC News that the teen had been talking about travelling to Russia for months. And that he was trying to get away from his troubles on Vancouver Island and start a new life overseas.
The friend, whom CBC agreed not to name because of the nature of the charges, says Laken once confided he no longer wanted to go, but felt he had no choice since he had already shared his passport and military ID information with the supposed humanitarian group.
"What he told me is that in one way or another, all of this information would be given to the Canadian authorities, and he would be in trouble here," said the friend. "I think how he looked at it was he made a shitty decision, and then he was obligated to go."
Russia's growing reach
Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House in London, says Putin's FSB has been casting a wide net for new agents since the invasion of Ukraine. It's all part of Moscow's push to harass and unbalance NATO nations.
"Russia will reach out and recruit anybody it can, because that is now very much cheaper and easier thanks to online access," said Giles. "The investment of time and resources in doing this is tiny compared to the potential results."
The end goal isn't necessarily to obtain secret information, or engage in sabotage, says Giles, but rather to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt. A goal that can be met even when spies are caught — or confess.
"Russia places very little value on the people that it recruits. They are disposable," he said.
Laken's family hope that he will soon return home, and have been told that quiet negotiations are underway to allow him to complete his sentence in Canada.
Global Affairs Canada told CBC News that they are "engaging with local authorities" in Poland, but declined to provide any further information, citing privacy concerns.
A resolution can't come soon enough for Andelaine Nelson.
"He needs to come home. He doesn't belong in a Polish jail," she said. "He turned himself in. He didn't do what they asked him to do. He knew it was wrong."
Jonathon Gatehouse can be contacted via email at [email protected], or reached via the CBC's digitally encrypted Securedrop system at https://www.cbc.ca/securedrop/
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