A Russian opposition activist has been arrested in Poland and is due to go on trial next month after admitting he worked as an undercover Russian Security Service agent, court documents claim.
Igor Rogov, 30, is associated with various opposition movements in the Russian city of Saransk, including the FOLATION of ANTIXEI Navalny, Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Rogov and his wife left Russia in 2021, according to court documents, and in 2022 they received visas to Poland and they went a few days later to the City of Sosnowiec.
Rogov was arrested by Polish authorities last summer, initially over suspected links to an explosive package. Poland has been hit by a wave of arson and other sabotage attacks involving a one-time ground operative and believed to have been carried out by Russian intelligence operatives.
Later, Rogov’s wife, Irina Ragova, was arrested, and the couple was accused of collaborating with the FSB to inform other Russian opposition activists.
Poland has arrested several people for preparing or carrying out sabotage for Russia in the last two years. Many Polish, Ukrainian or Belarusian people believe that they are recruited by telegram for one-time jobs. Rogov’s case is unusual in that he is a Russian citizen and appears to have been in direct contact with the FSB for several years.
The Guardian obtained an anonymous copy of the indictment against Rogov and his wife from a Polish court. In accordance with local laws, he was identified only as Igor R, but exiled Russian outlets and other sources identified the defendant as Rogov.
The files suggest a long history of cooperation with the FSB. Rogov admitted to interrogators that he was approached by the Security Service several years ago while still in Russia and forced to join the local opposition movement.
He said that he was given a burner phone and SIM cards to contact his FSB Handler, and when the “cooperation reached a higher level that was at a mark in the apartment on the left “At that time, he also began receiving money in exchange for cooperation,” according to the indictment.
Rogov told his wife that he was recruited by the FSB, according to the indictment, quoting her as saying that he “probably got the time but he had the money”.
Later, in Poland, Rogov asked his wife to help him transfer to his owners a variety of repertoires of Russian activists and others in Poland who might be of interest to the FSB. He gave her the USB stick to visit Russia hidden in a package with souvenirs from Poland, and an address to post it.
Details from the indictment were published by the Polish outlet Wirtualna Polska, which also said that RoGov was blackmailed by Poland, with the threat of Poland that his father would not be able to serve in the Russian Army.
Leonid Volkov, of the Foundation Foundation of Anti-Corruption, he did not remember meeting with Rogov but that the case shows the usual methods used by the Russian authorities.
“This is not surprising. The FSB has always done this, is still doing it and will continue to do it: Finding young people with opposition organizations,” he wrote in X.
Another part of the case against Rogov deals with a package that he is reported to be in charge of. The package contained the components of an explosive device and was addressed to Rogov, although he had not yet received it. He said he agreed to receive the package as a favor to a friend. A Ukrainian woman was also arrested in the package but has since been released.
Since 2022, Poland has made it difficult for Russians to obtain visas, with exceptions made for people with special needs or for Rogov with a background in opposition movements.
The first hearing of the trial of the Rogovs is due to take place on 8 December.
Additional Reporting by Ada Petriczko