Russian dissident Igor Rogov sentenced to 7 years in Poland for spying for FSB

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Russian opposition activist Igor Rogov was sentenced to seven years in prison by a Polish court on Thursday after admitting he had shared sensitive information on other Russian dissidents with Moscow’s Federal Security Service.

The case is the first known espionage trial of a Russian political dissident in Europe after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“I was supposed to … meet new people, and finally inform the Federal Security Service about everything,” Rogov told investigators, according to Polish media. He later claimed he had acted out of fear, saying he believed Russian security officers “knew everything” about him.

The District Court in Sosnowiec found the former activist guilty of spying for the FSB between February and August 2022.

The prosecution said Rogov collected information on Russian dissidents living in Poland, Polish officials, university staff and organizations helping them settle in exile, illustrating how the Kremlin has expanded its espionage web inside exile communities across Europe.

The court also sentenced Rogov’s wife, Irina Rogova, to three years in prison after finding she helped pass the information to Russian intelligence officers.

Besides the espionage charges, Rogov was also convicted over allegations that he participated in a separate 2024 operation involving the shipment of explosive materials, including nitroglycerin, through Poland. Investigators said the package was intercepted at a courier warehouse before reaching its destination.

Before moving to Poland, Rogov had been active in Russia’s opposition movement. The now 31-year-old was associated with anti-Kremlin groups in his hometown of Saransk, including Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation and Open Russia. But Rogov admitted in court documents to working for the FSB after being recruited in Russia years before leaving the country.

The verdict comes as Poland pushes for a tougher European approach toward Russian nationals. Earlier this year, Warsaw joined 10 other EU countries in urging the Commission to tighten Schengen visa rules for Russian citizens, arguing that Moscow’s espionage and sabotage campaign poses growing security risks across the bloc.