Espionage and Participation in a Bomb Plot: Russian Couple Convicted in Poland
The District Court in Sosnowiec, Silesian Voivodeship, sentenced a Russian couple, who arrived as dissidents, to seven and three years in prison for espionage for the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
According to the prosecutor's findings, Igor R. collected and passed on information to the Russian Federal Security Service from February to August 2022 regarding Russian opposition activists residing in Poland, as well as individuals and institutions providing them with assistance.
The collected materials concerned employees of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, students and academics of Russian origin, as well as members of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.
Igor R. forwarded these materials to his wife, Irina R., on an encrypted electronic storage medium. She was handed it over to FSB officers during her stay in Russia.
Irina R. was sentenced to three years in prison for aiding and abetting espionage.
Igor R. was also convicted of conspiracy and causing imminent danger to life or health.
The second charge relates to a parcel containing explosives discovered in July 2024 in a courier company's warehouse.
Due to national security concerns, the trial of the R. couple was held behind closed doors. It is not known what statements they made in court, what witnesses testified, or what evidence of their guilt the prosecutor's office presented.
The Bomb Plot
According to the National Prosecutor's Office, Igor R., together with two Ukrainian citizens and one Russian citizen, participated in sending a parcel containing dangerous cargo and arranging its pickup.
The package, sent by the accused from Krakow, contained explosive devices and materials—including nitroglycerin, Soviet-made electronic detonators, a fabricated power bank serving as an initiating device, a metal thermos with a shaped charge, and a bag of powdered aluminum.
The entire package formed a so-called shaped charge bomb, and its explosion could have caused significant infrastructure damage, according to the National Prosecutor's Office.
Therefore, Igor R. was charged with creating an imminent danger of an event threatening the life or health of many people or significant property damage.
They Arrived as Dissidents
Igor and Irina R. were granted political asylum in Poland after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
They both presented themselves as dissidents opposing Putin.
In Russia, criminal proceedings were initiated against Igor R. for evading military service. He also participated in meetings of Russian opposition figures and protests against election fraud.
During an interrogation in Poland, he admitted that while living in Russia, he worked for the FSB. The Russians allowed him to be active in the opposition in exchange for cooperation.
In Poland, the couple received government scholarships and studied at the University of Silesia. Irina also worked as a nail technician. They lived in a student dormitory in Sosnowiec.
After being detained by the Internal Security Agency (ABW), the R. couple were removed from the student register at the University of Silesia.
Russian Spies in Poland
In 2024-2025, the Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW) initiated 69 investigations into espionage and sabotage on behalf of Russia and Belarus – the same number as in the previous 30 years.
A total of 91 people were arrested, 62 of whom were immediately detained.
Among those arrested and charged were citizens of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, as well as networks recruited from among Polish citizens.
Sources: BBC Polska, Gazeta Wyborcza, Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego, Prokuratura Krajowa