A Russian husband and wife have been jailed for a combined 10 years after a Polish court found them guilty of spying for Moscow. The couple – named only as Igor R. and Irina R. in line with Polish privacy laws – were convicted of espionage and collaborating with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), with Igor R. also being found guilty in connection with a plot to send a parcel bomb. He was sentenced to seven years in jail while his wife received a three year sentence by the district court in the southern city of Sosnowiec on Thursday. Investigators say the couple’s activities included gathering intelligence on Russian opposition activists living in Poland between February and August 2022. Prosecutors said Igor R. collected the information on encrypted electronic storage, which his wife, Irina, then tried to pass on to the FSB. Igor R. was also convicted of taking part in a July 2024 plot to send a parcel bomb via courier service. The device was discovered in a courier warehouse in central Poland’s Łódź region. Who are Igor and Irena R? Before moving to Poland, Igor R. was active in Russia's political opposition, taking part in protests against alleged election fraud and unsuccessfully running for city council. After learning he was facing prosecution for allegedly evading military service, he fled the country. The couple later settled in Poland, where they enrolled at the University of Silesia, received scholarships and lived what appeared to be an ordinary student life while studying, working part-time and staying in a university dormitory. The married couple were arrested in 2024, months after being granted refugee status in Poland and formally charged in October last year. The trial, which began in January, was held behind closed doors, without media access due to national security concerns.
A Polish court sentenced the Russian couple to seven and three years in prison. (PAP/Jarek Praszkiewicz)
