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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Polish prosecutors have indicted a Russian married couple who are accused of spying on behalf of Moscow, including on Russian opposition figures. Additionally, the man is accused of being involved in sending a package containing explosives.
The couple, named only as Igor R. and Irina R. under Polish privacy laws, were arrested and charged in July last year.
According to prosecutors, between February and August 2022, Igor R. cooperated with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), including by collecting intelligence on Russian opposition figures living in Poland. Irina R. then sought to pass the information on the FSB on an electronic storage device.
The pair have been charged with espionage. However, because their alleged offences occurred before the law was toughened to increase penalties to up to life in prison, they would face up to 15 years if convicted.
Prokurator skierował do sądu akt oskarżenia przeciwko dwojgu obywatelom Federacji Rosyjskiej, oskarżając ich o udział w działalności rosyjskiego wywiadu.
Jednemu z oskarżonych zarzuca się ponadto udział w nadaniu paczki zawierającej materiał wybuchowy.https://t.co/FgkLdImbUh
— Prokuratura (@PK_GOV_PL) October 13, 2025
Igor R. is additionally accused of working as part of a group – also containing another Russian and two Ukrainian citizens – to send a parcel containing a nitroglycerin-based explosive and military-grade electronic detonators.
The group sought to have the package transported by a courier company, and it was discovered in a warehouse in Poland belonging to the delivery firm.
In their statement, prosecutors did not say if the explosive had a particular target, but they noted that it “could have caused significant infrastructure damage” if detonated.
In June this year, another member of the group, Ukrainian woman Kristina S., was also indicted in relation to her involvement and is facing up to eight years in prison if convicted. Igor R. has now been indicted on the same charges.
Fourteen members of a Russian spy network in Poland were given prison sentences today.
The group – most of whom are Ukrainians – was tasked with carrying out surveillance and sabotage, including plans to derail a train carrying military aid for Ukraine https://t.co/hX1cCDW1yc
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) December 19, 2023
Poland has in recent years detained a number of groups and individuals it has accused of carrying out espionage, sabotage and propaganda activities on behalf of Russia.
Last week, prosecutors indicted a former employee of Warsaw city hall who is accused of obtaining documents from the municipal archives to help Russia create fake identities for spies.
In October last year, Poland’s foreign ministry ordered Russia to close its consulate in Poznań in response to various forms of “hybrid warfare” by Moscow against Poland, including sabotage, cyberattacks and migratory pressure on its eastern border.
In May this year, it then ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Kraków in response to evidence that Moscow was behind the fire that last year destroyed Warsaw’s largest shopping centre.
Poland has announced the closure of Russia's consulate in Kraków in response to evidence Moscow was behind the fire that destroyed Warsaw's largest shopping centre.
It is the second Russian consulate closed as retaliation for Moscow's sabotage campaign https://t.co/p77JEhNn7u
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) May 12, 2025
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: Służby specjalne (under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL)
Agnieszka Wądołowska is deputy editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. She is a member of the European Press Prize’s preparatory committee. She was 2022 Fellow at the Entrepreneurial Journalism Creators Program at City University of New York. In 2024, she graduated from the Advanced Leadership Programme for Top Talents at the Center for Leadership. She has previously contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza, Wysokie Obcasy and Duży Format.
