“The Easterngate” is one of the first Max Original series in Poland, which started production in March 2024.
“The Easterngate” is a suspense thriller series that delves into the world of modern espionage during an emerging conflict and international unrest. It paints a vivid picture of the clandestine world while also exploring the personal struggles of an individual caught in the web of the Secret Service.
NATO’s eastern flank, Russian war maneuvers at a hotspot of strategic importance for the entire continent. “The Easterngate” follows the journey of Ewa Oginiec, who, after a personal drama, aims to leave the secret service and start over. Things take a twist when her partner, also an agent, gets outed by Russian intelligence and mysteriously vanishes.
The series explores the mechanism of provocation on the global stage and the high-stakes battle between intelligence agencies in a world gripped by the complexities of hybrid warfare.
The title “The Easterngate” refers to the Suwałki Gap, a critical spot along the border between Poland and Lithuania, both NATO member states and Belarus and Russia (including the Kaliningrad Oblast, a separate exclave from the main Russian territory). The Suwałki Gap is widely recognized as one of Europe’s top three hotspots, a critical territory for protecting NATO’s eastern flank and maintaining regional stability.
The narrative unfolds during the spring of 2021 – in Belarus (Minsk), Poland, and Russia.
Ewa Ogniniec is played by Polish actress Lena Góra. The series is directed by award-winning Jan P. Matuszyński.