Russia Jails Georgy Pirogov for 23 Years Over Alleged Polish Spying
Updated
Updated · Euronews · Aug 14
Russia Jails Georgy Pirogov for 23 Years Over Alleged Polish Spying
3 articles · Updated · Euronews · Aug 14
Summary
A Russian court sentenced Georgy Pirogov to 23 years in a high-security penal colony after convicting him of passing classified military information to Polish intelligence.
The FSB said he contacted a Polish military intelligence representative in April 2022 and used defense-industry ties to gather data on missile systems and people with access to state secrets.
The case was heard behind closed doors, and the FSB gave no evidence or account of how Pirogov—reported by independent media to have disappeared in Uzbekistan in 2024—was returned to Russia.
The verdict came a day after Poland said it had detained a Russian citizen on August 7 for allegedly preparing an assassination in Warsaw on Kremlin orders.
The case lands amid a sharp expansion of Russia's treason prosecutions since the 2022 invasion; nearly 500 people were convicted on espionage and treason charges last year.