Igor R. was brought into the courtroom first, dressed in a red prison uniform.
He was holding a sheet of paper bearing crossed-out words and symbols including "Russia", "Putin" and an anti-war slogan written in Cyrillic, with a peace symbol drawn inside one of the letters.
His wife was led in shortly afterwards.
Igor R. and his wife Irina R. are charged with involvement in Russian intelligence activities and with passing information that could harm Poland.
The proceedings before the district court in the southern city of Sosnowiec are being held behind closed doors at the request of prosecutors, who cited state security concerns.
The couple were arrested in July 2024 and have remained in custody since then.
An indictment was filed with the court in October 2025 following an investigation by prosecutors and Poland’s internal security services.
Suspected spies for Russia
According to prosecutors, Igor R. cooperated with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) between February and August 2022, collecting information on Russian opposition activists in Poland and those assisting them.
The data was allegedly passed to his wife on encrypted storage media for onward delivery in Russia.
Prosecutors said the defendants could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Igor R. also faces separate charges linked to the alleged posting of a parcel containing explosive material in July 2024.
Prosecutors say the shipment, which was discovered in a courier company warehouse in central Poland, contained nitroglycerin and components forming what experts described as a shaped-charge bomb capable of causing significant damage to infrastructure.
The parcel was sent by a Ukrainian citizen, Kristina S., who was convicted in a separate case in August 2025.
(ał)
Source: PAP