Russia jails man for 23 years for spying for Poland

A Russian man has been convicted by a ​Moscow court of spying for Poland and ‌sentenced to 23 years in a penal colony, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Friday.

Espionage cases ​have become increasingly common in Russia ​since the start of the full-scale war ⁠in Ukraine, with courts frequently publicising verdicts ​while disclosing few details. Trials are conducted behind closed ​doors on national security grounds.

According to the FSB, the man, identified as Georgy Pirogov, supplied Poland with ​information on advanced Russian weapons and missile ​systems used in the war in Ukraine.

The FSB said ‌Pirogov ⁠left Russia after the outbreak of the war and contacted Polish intelligence in April 2022.

It said he was subsequently tasked with collecting ​and passing ​on classified ⁠information and, through his contacts in Russia's defence industry, obtaining personal ​data on individuals with access to ​state ⁠secrets with a view to recruiting them.

A day earlier, Poland arrested a Russian man it said ⁠had ​been hired by Moscow ​to kill a Ukrainian-American citizen in Warsaw.

-Reuters