A Russian citizen has been charged in Poland with espionage for Russian intelligence, having admitted to sharing information with the Federal Security Service (FSB), according to reports from Polish media published on Monday, which referenced case documents.
The Polish authorities accused Igor R. and his spouse Irina last year of allegedly supplying Russian intelligence with information about opposition activists from Russia residing in Poland, as well as those who offered them support.
Russian media identified Igor R. as Igor Rogov, a former member of the Open Russia pro-democracy movement, which is classified as “undesirable” by the Russian government.
In his testimony, Rogov confessed, “I was supposed to do what I enjoyed — advance within the ranks of Russian opposition figures, meet new people, and ultimately report everything back to the Federal Security Service,” as reported by the Polish outlet Wirtualna Polska.
Investigators further allege that Rogov received a package containing bomb-making components, including liquid explosives, detonators, and a power source.
Prosecutors asserted that Rogov posed “an immediate threat to many lives and potentially endangered significant property.”
After relocating to Poland following the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Igor reportedly informed his wife about his recruitment by the FSB, Wirtualna Polska indicated.
When Irina allegedly uncovered her husband’s infidelity, she began disclosing in private discussions with fellow Russian émigrés that Igor had been working with an FSB officer named Yevgeny for years.
In responses to inquiries from Poland’s Internal Security Agency, Rogov characterized his involvement with the FSB as a “personal tragedy,” according to Wirtualna Polska.
The outlet reported that Rogov stated he had been coerced by agents who threatened to send his father to fight in the war in Ukraine if he did not comply.
During a trip to Russia, Irina reportedly handled a parcel containing Polish goods as a favor for her husband, which also included a USB drive with encrypted files.
According to the case materials, the drive held information about individuals who were supporting Russian opposition activists in Poland.
The outlet mentioned that Rogov allegedly referred to officials from the Polish Foreign Ministry, workers from the National Agency for Academic Exchange, and instructors at the University of Silesia who taught Polish to Russian nationals.
If found guilty, the couple faces the possibility of life imprisonment.
