Polish prosecutors have charged a Russian couple, Igor and Irina Rogov, with spying for Moscow after they were granted asylum in Poland as political refugees.
The case comes amid longstanding warnings from Polish security services about the risk of Russian agents entering the country under the guise of political refugees.
According to Wirtualna Polska, the pair are accused of passing information to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) that could have harmed Polish state interests.
After more than a year of investigation by Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW), the couple will face trial on 8 December. If convicted, they face between eight years and life in prison.
Igor Rogov, a 29-year-old IT student from Saratov, arrived in Poland in 2022 under a government program for Russian dissidents after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He received a state stipend, housing and social support, and portrayed himself as an anti-Putin activist.
Investigators say he later confessed to maintaining contact with an FSB officer and transmitting encrypted reports about Polish officials, university staff and NGOs supporting Russian exiles.
His wife, Irina, initially defended him publicly but later told acquaintances that he had long cooperated with Russian intelligence, prompting ABW to confront the couple’s conflicting statements. She also allegedly delivered a parcel containing a USB drive with encrypted data to Russia on her husband’s behalf.
The investigation also linked Igor to a separate incident in 2024, when a courier parcel addressed to him was found to contain bomb components. Prosecutors accuse him of endangering public safety, though he claims he was unaware of the package’s contents.
Poland at the center of Moscow’s growing spy war in Europe
The case reflects a broader pattern of Russian intelligence operations across Europe. Poland has become a major target, with authorities busting multiple spy rings since 2022, including a six-person network that planted hidden cameras on railway routes near the Rzeszów airport - the main logistics gateway for Western weapons to Ukraine.
Russia has escalated espionage and sabotage operations beyond Ukraine's borders, recruiting agents through various methods including Telegram channels promising "quick earnings," and even targeting teenagers.
These operations span from arson attacks on military facilities to surveillance of critical infrastructure, with Russian intelligence increasingly using local proxies and refugees as cover.
Polish security services have repeatedly warned about infiltration risks, even as the country continues supporting Russian dissidents fleeing Putin's regime.
