Russia Rejects Colombia Spy Claims Against Man Ordered Out on 30 September
COLOMBIA · RUSSIA
Key Facts
- —The country Colombia, with about 53 million people, is a close US security partner. In 2021 it saw weeks of mass street protests, known as the National Strike, under then-president Iván Duque.
- —The background In 2022 Duque’s government linked a Russian resident, Sergei Vagin, to spying, funding protest violence and contacts with the ELN guerrillas. He was arrested in Bogotá on 30 March 2022.
- —Why now On 28 September 2026 Caracol Radio reported that prosecutors never investigated those spying and guerrilla claims. His trial concerns an alleged sports-betting fraud.
- —What happened On 30 September President Abelardo de la Espriella announced Vagin’s capture and ordered his expulsion for threatening national security. Russia’s embassy rejected the accusations on 1 October.
- —Who is who Vagin entered Colombia as a tourist in 2016 and never regularised his stay. He denies spying, funding protests or links to the ELN.
- —What it means for you Expulsion is an administrative measure, not a court verdict. Foreigners who overstay a tourist permit can be removed on that ground alone.
- —Still open When the expulsion will be carried out, and what happens to his pending fraud trial.
Russia’s embassy in Colombia has rejected spying allegations against Sergei Vagin, a Russian citizen ordered expelled on 30 September 2026. In a post on X, the embassy said he had faced only economic charges in Colombia.
The embassy also thanked Colombian authorities for deciding to deport him to Russia. The case resurfaced after Caracol Radio found that prosecutors never pursued the spying claims made against him in 2022.
What Russia said
The embassy criticised the claims that Vagin had links to illegal armed groups. It also rejected accusations that he had “almost attacked the constitutional order of Colombia”, as quoted by Caracol Radio and La Opinión.
In wording carried by the Spanish news agency EFE, the embassy said the media had again spread “anti-Russian falsehoods” that were “long forgotten and baseless”. They concerned alleged riot funding in Bogotá, espionage and other illicit activities, it added.
It said he was charged on “three counts of an exclusively economic nature”. Those are aggravated conspiracy, non-consensual transfer of assets and abusive access to a computer system.
What Colombia’s president said
President Abelardo de la Espriella announced the arrest on social media on 30 September, two days after Caracol Radio’s report. Police and DIPOL, the police intelligence directorate, caught Vagin “in less than 24 hours”, he wrote.
“The administrative measure of expulsion from the country will be applied to him for threatening national security,” the president added. Caracol Radio reported that the order also rests on his migration status.
He repeated that intelligence reports link Vagin to spying and to funding vandalism during the 2021 protests. They also tie him to contacts with the ELN, the National Liberation Army guerrilla group.
What the courts have and have not examined
Vagin arrived in Colombia on 25 November 2016 as a tourist, according to Migración Colombia figures cited by Caracol Radio. He was arrested in Bogotá with six other people on 30 March 2022.
In August 2022, prosecutors charged him over an alleged ring that used at least 73 people’s data to open sports-betting accounts. The ring is said to have moved more than 1,600 million pesos (about US$484,000).
At trial, Caracol reported, the lead investigator acknowledged that the protest-funding and ELN claims were never verified or pursued. La Opinión stressed that this is not a court ruling that the claims are false.
Vagin spent more than three years in custody. He was freed on 8 August 2025 because the legal time limit for holding him had expired, not because he was acquitted.
A deportation order from Migración Colombia, the migration authority, had become final on 8 April 2025 but was never carried out. Caracol also reported that Pravfond, a Russian organisation, helped fund his defence; Vagin said it assists Russians facing trials abroad.
What comes next
The government has not said when the expulsion will take effect. It is also unclear what happens to his fraud trial once he leaves Colombia.
The case does not establish that Russia ran an intelligence operation in Colombia; no court has examined that charge. Nor does it clear Vagin, since his fraud trial was still pending and the intelligence claims were simply never tested.
Speaking to Caracol Radio, Vagin denied funding the protests or working for Russian intelligence. He said the videos he recorded during the 2021 marches were public on his social media.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sergei Vagin?
He is a Russian citizen who entered Colombia as a tourist in 2016. He was arrested in 2022, accused by the then government of spying and funding protest violence, but was charged only in an alleged sports-betting fraud.
Why is Colombia expelling him?
President Abelardo de la Espriella said he threatens national security, citing intelligence reports. Caracol Radio reported that the order also rests on his migration status, since he never regularised his tourist stay.
What did Russia say?
Russia’s embassy said Vagin faced only three economic charges, rejected the spying and armed-group claims, and thanked Colombia for deciding to deport him to Russia.
Has any court found him guilty of spying?
No. Prosecutors never charged him with spying, and his trial concerns alleged fraud. He was released in August 2025 when the legal time limit for detaining him expired.
Sources: La Opinión (Colprensa), 1 October 2026, Caracol Radio, Russian embassy statement, 1 October 2026, EFE via El Heraldo, Russian embassy statement, 2 October 2026, Caracol Radio, capture and expulsion order, 30 September 2026, Caracol Radio investigation, 28 September 2026, Financial Superintendency of Colombia, official exchange rate (TRM) for 2 October 2026: 3,307.73 pesos per US dollar. All retrieved 2 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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