Three Bulgarian citizens have been convicted of spying for Russia following a 32+ hour jury deliberation at the Old Bailey. The trial revealed their involvement in several operations of surveillance that were being carried out in Europe, which were, allegedly, ordered by fugitive Austrian businessman Jan Marsalek, who escaped to Russia in 2020.
The three convicted people Katrin Ivanova, 33, a laboratory technician; Vanya Gaberova, 30, a beauty technician, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, a painter were based in London at the time of their arrest. They were members of a ring of spies headed by Orlin Roussev, 47, of Great Yarmouth, who was in direct contact with Marsalek.
The group spied on investigative reporter Christo Grozev, who revealed Russian agents’ involvement in Alexei Navalny’s poisoning. They also tried to steal the phone numbers of Ukrainian soldiers training in Germany with a military-grade surveillance tool.
The spy ring was broken up in February 2023 after counter-terrorism investigations by the Metropolitan Police and MI5. Roussev’s house was raided by officers, and they found a vast array of surveillance gear, including 221 mobile phones, 495 SIM cards, 258 hard drives, drones, jammers, and 75 counterfeit identity documents.
Two other defendants, Roussev and his deputy Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, pleaded guilty already. The jury convicted the other three of conspiracy to commit an offence under the Official Secrets Act, which has a maximum penalty of 14 years.
Judge Mr. Justice Hilliard KC set sentencing between May 7 and May 12. Another suspect, Ivan Stoyanov, 33, had pleaded guilty prior to the trial, but his role has only now been revealed. Authorities caution that Russian spy operations in the UK continue unabated through criminal intermediaries.
