Three Bulgarian nationals have been convicted of espionage charges in the UK, after being accused of participating in numerous schemes across Europe, orchestrated by a fugitive in Moscow.
The verdicts for Katrin Ivanova, a 33-year-old lab technician, Vanya Gaberova, a 30-year-old beautician, and Tihomir Ivanchev, a 39-year-old painter and decorator, were delivered by a jury at the Old Bailey following over 32 hours of deliberation.
The trio, who resided in London prior to their arrest, were implicated as subordinate members of a spy network under the direction of Jan Marsalek, an Austrian businessman who escaped to Russia in 2020 following a massive €1.9 billion fraud scandal involving a company he was managing.
Marsalek was responsible for the surveillance of Christo Grozev, an investigative journalist known for exposing Russian spies in the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, across Bulgaria, Austria, and Spain.
Marsalek also tasked group members, including Ivanova, to acquire mobile phone numbers of Ukrainian military personnel using advanced surveillance equipment, previously unseen in criminal environments, at a US barracks in Stuttgart, Germany.
The operation was coordinated by Orlin Roussev, 47, from a base in Great Yarmouth, which housed extensive electronic and surveillance gear.
Roussev, along with his associate Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, had previously admitted to espionage charges. However, the three recently convicted individuals had denied their involvement, leading to an extensive trial at the Old Bailey.
The Metropolitan Police credited their February 2023 intervention, which disrupted the spy ring before members could execute their plan to gather intelligence in Stuttgart.
Commander Dom Murphy of the Met’s counter-terror division highlighted the crucial evidence retrieved from Roussev’s phone, which contained over 78,000 messages between him and Marsalek detailing several major plots.
These messages revealed not only the operations of the spy ring but also indicated broader Kremlin interests across Europe, including targeted actions against individuals disliked by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Counter-terror officials have warned that Kremlin-led espionage and sabotage are still active, often conducted by unskilled proxies managed remotely.
“This won’t be the only activity Russia is conducting in the UK,” stated Murphy.
The trial also unveiled personal entanglements among the defendants. Dzhambazov was found to have been in relationships with both Ivanova, his long-standing partner, and Gaberova. The deceit came to light when police found Dzhambazov and Gaberova together during a raid, with Ivanova discovering the affair post-arrest.
Ivanova argued that she was duped by Dzhambazov into unwittingly spying for Russia, while Gaberova and Ivanchev believed they were working for Interpol, shown counterfeit identification by Dzhambazov.
All three have been convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage and face up to 14 years in prison. Significant sums of money, at least €210,000, were traced from Roussev to other gang members.
During the verdict reading, Ivanchev was present in court, while the women appeared via video link, reacting passively to the decision. The sentencing is scheduled between 7 and 12 May.
Additionally, a sixth individual, Ivan Stoyanov, had already pleaded guilty at an earlier stage, a detail now cleared for publication.
