Journalist targeted by Russian spy ring said ordeal was ‘deeply detabilising'

South Wales Argus

08-05-2025

Bellingcat investigative journalist Christo Grozev submitted a victim impact statement to the court in which he said the 'damage' caused by the Bulgarian nationals involved in the spy network was 'ongoing'.
Female 'honeytrap' agents Katrin Ivanova, 33, and Vanya Gaberova, 30, and competitive swimmer Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, were found guilty at the Old Bailey in March of spying on an 'industrial scale', putting lives and national security at risk.
Bellingcat journalist Christo Grozev told the court of the lasting damage caused to him and his family (David Mirzoeff/PA)
They are due to face sentencing at the same court, alongside ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, his second-in-command Biser Dzhambazov, 44, and Ivan Stoyanov, 33, who admitted their roles.
On the second day of the four-day sentencing hearing, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC also spoke of how Kazakhstan dissident Bergey Ryskaliyev had been forced to hire private security due to the threat posed by the defendants.
Ms Morgan first read Mr Grozev's statement to the court on Thursday: 'Their surveillance and targeting have had a profound and enduring impact on both my personal and professional life, as well as the lives of my family members.
'Learning only in retrospect that foreign agents have been monitoring my movements, communications and home, surveying my loved ones over an extended period – has been terrifying, disorientating and deeply destabilising.
'The consequences have not faded with time – they have fundamentally changed how I live my daily life and how I relate to the world around me.'
Mr Grozev was targeted after he exposed Russian links to the Novichok poisoning and the downing of a Malaysia Airlines plane in July 2014.
He was followed from Vienna to a conference in Valencia in Spain, with Ivanova able to get close enough on the plane to record the PIN number on his phone with a camera on the strap of her bag after the spies acquired his flight manifest.
Ms Morgan said Mr Grozev has had to 'change day-to-day routines' because he 'may still be at risk from others operating in the UK and elsewhere'.
Mr Grozev said his work as a journalist has also been impacted as some of his sources now feel unable to speak with him because they are 'too afraid'.
His statement concluded: 'The actions of these individuals have had a deep, lasting and destabilising effect on my life and the lives of those I love.
'The consequences are not easily reversed – for my family and me, the damage is ongoing.'
Ms Morgan said Mr Ryskaliyev felt 'concerned that the threat has not been fully eliminated' despite the defendants being arrested.
His statement read: 'Suspicious individuals continue to appear near my home and workplace, which emphasises the need to stay vigilant.'
Mr Ryskaliyev was under surveillance from the spy ring at two west London addresses, One Hyde Park in Knightsbridge and Warwick Chambers, the court previously heard.
The court was also told that targeting Mr Ryskaliyev in November 2021 would have helped Kazakhstan and served to cultivate relations with Russia.
Speaking about his family, Mr Ryskaliyev said: 'Despite the fear, we do not allow it to paralyse us.
'As a result of the threat, I've had to put enhanced security measures in place – these include hiring private security and changing the logistics of my movements.'
He said, despite the significant cost of having security, Mr Ryskaliyev said: 'It is a necessary investment in our safety.'
Mr Ryskaliyev said his friends and family had previously confronted Stoyanov when he had sat outside his address, adding that the fact that it was Russia conducting surveillance 'was more concerning and felt more threatening'.
His statement continued: 'I'm grateful to the United Kingdom for granting me asylum and protection.
'This country has become my second home, and I feel it is my moral duty to protect it.'
Mr Ryskaliyev concluded: 'We will not be intimidated. We will fight. We will expose. We will protect those who have chosen freedom and justice.'
The spy ring was directed by alleged agent Jan Marsalek, 44, an Austrian businessman wanted by Interpol after the collapse of German payment processing firm Wirecard.
Marsalek acted as a go-between for Russian intelligence and Roussev, who led the operation from a former guesthouse in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
It is believed to be one of the 'largest and most complex' enemy operations to be uncovered on UK soil.
The network engaged in a series of surveillance and intelligence operations over three years in which spies were referred to as Minions – characters from the animated film Despicable Me.
Roussev deployed the Minions with second-in-command Dzhambazov, who was in a love triangle with two of the team – his partner Ivanova and beautician Gaberova, jurors heard.
Spyware was recovered from the seaside hotel, described by Roussev in messages as his 'Indiana Jones garage' – including audiovisual spy devices hidden inside a rock, men's ties, a Coke bottle and a Minions cuddly toy.
The defendants, who are in custody, face sentences of up to 14 years in jail for the activities in the UK, Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro.