logo
Six Bulgarians jailed for spying for Russia

Six Bulgarians jailed for spying for Russia

Ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, who led the spy ring from a rundown guesthouse on the east coast of England, was sentenced to 10 years and eight months on Monday.
He had admitted his role along with his second-in-command, Biser Dzhambazov, 44, who was jailed for 10 years and two months and Ivan Stoyanov, 33, who was handed five years and three weeks in prison.
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 activities which police have said put lives and national security at risk.
Katrin Ivanova was found guilty at the Old Bailey of taking part in one of the 'largest and most complex' Russian spy operations to be uncovered on UK soil (Metropolitan Police/PA)
Mr Justice Hilliard jailed Ivanova, of Harrow, north-west London, for nine years and eight months, saying she had 'thrown in' her lot with her partner Dzhambazov and become an 'enthusiastic' participant.
Gaberova, of Euston, north London, was jailed for six years, eight months and three weeks, having found spying for Russia to be 'exciting and glamorous', the judge said.
Her ex-boyfriend Ivanchev, of Acton, west London, was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Earlier in mitigation for 'naive' beautician Gaberova, Anthony Metzer KC said her case was 'tragic' as she would never have got involved but for her infatuation with Dzhambazov, who had falsely claimed to have cancer and be working for Interpol while retaining his relationship with partner Ivanova.
He told the court: 'We say she was controlled, coerced into this conspiracy by Mr Dzhambazov.
'She fell in love with him and continued on her evidence to have feelings for him, not only on the date of her arrest but continued to have feelings for him even as she gave evidence, even though she was shocked, appalled and manipulated by him.'
In a televised sentencing, Mr Justice Hilliard commended officers for their 'extremely thorough and determined investigative work'.
He noted the defendants were 'motivated by money' and lived 'very comfortably' on the substantial sums they were paid.
Victims targeted by the spyring had been left 'deeply concerned' and been forced to enhance their security, the judge said.
He said the risk to them was obvious and Roussev would have been aware of the 'extreme actions' Russia had taken against those it regarded as an 'enemy' of the state.
Using the UK as a base to plan spy operations against the safety and interests of the nation was a 'very serious offence', Mr Justice Hilliard added.
The court had heard that the spies were directed by alleged Russian 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.
Orlin Roussev pleaded guilty to espionage charges and accepted having fake identity documents (Metropolitan Police/PA)
When police moved to arrest the spies in February 2023, they found Dzhambazov naked in bed with his lover Gaberova in Euston, rather than at home with his partner Ivanova.
Police pieced together six operations dating back to August 2020 from more than 100,000 Telegram messages on Roussev's phone in which he and Marsalek made light of their dangerous plans.
In the chat, Roussev was referred to as Jackie Chan, Dzhambazov went by Mad Max and Jean-Claude Van Damme, and referred to his spies as The Minions.
Competitive swimmer Tihomir Ivanchev was one of six Bulgarians convicted of spying for Russia (Metropolitan Police/PA)
The spy ring, which operated over at least three years, is believed to have been 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 targeting people and places of interest to the Russian state.
The defendants' spy activities ranged between the UK, Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro.
They discussed deploying 'lashes queen' Gaberova as a honeytrap to snare a high-profile journalist, dropped 100 litres of pigs' blood on the Kazakhstan embassy in London by drone, and kidnapped a man in the UK.
Minions soft toys were among the items found during a search of an address in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, where police arrested spy chief Orlin Roussev in 2023 (Metropolitan Police/PA)
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 Coca-Cola bottle and a Minions cuddly toy.
Kit to make and test counterfeit identity documents was recovered from Roussev's address, with a stash of fake passports also found at the one-bedroom flat in Harrow that Ivanova and Dzhambazov shared.
After his arrest, Roussev initially denied spying for Russia, telling police: 'No James Bond activity on my end, I guarantee you.'
Mr Justice Hilliard made a confiscation order for Roussev to pay £180,768 in ill-gotten gains.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command, said: 'The investigation team worked incredibly hard to piece together a complex and wide-ranging conspiracy that I would describe as espionage on an industrial scale.
'The significant jail sentences handed to the group reflect the serious threat they posed to the safety and interests of the UK, as well as targets across Europe.
'This case is a clear example of the increasing amount of state threat casework we are dealing with in the UK. It also highlights a relatively new phenomenon whereby espionage is being 'outsourced' by certain states.
'Regardless of the form the threat takes, this investigation shows that we will take action to identify and disrupt any such activity that puts UK national security and the safety of the public at risk.'
Security minister Dan Jarvis said: 'These substantial sentences should send a clear warning to anyone seeking to threaten our security, harm the UK, and compromise the safety of the public.
'This case is a stark reminder of the increasingly complex threat we face from hostile states who wish to undermine us, and why national security is a foundation of our Plan for Change. We will use the full range of tools and powers available to us to detect, disrupt, and deter malicious acts from hostile states and protect the public.
'I am especially grateful for the work of our world-leading law enforcement partners and the Crown Prosecution Service for disrupting this threat and bringing these individuals to justice.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Couple find their stolen car and take it back from thief after getting fed up
Couple find their stolen car and take it back from thief after getting fed up

Metro

time37 minutes ago

  • Metro

Couple find their stolen car and take it back from thief after getting fed up

A couple whose car was stolen say they tracked it down and took it back after getting fed up with the police. Mia Forbes Pirie and Mark Simpson, from Brook Green, west London, realised their Jaguar E-Pace SUV was missing from its parking spot near their home last Tuesday. The car was fitted with a tracking device, which pinged later that morning at a location a few miles away in Chiswick. They called 999 but were informed that officers could not look into it for the time being and didn't know when they'd be able to, The Times reports. After suggesting they could find it themselves, they were told to call 101 if they succeeded – and only to ring 999 if 'police assistance was necessary at the vehicle's location'. Just over 50 minutes after their tracker pinged, they found the car – with its interior and carpets torn up by the thieves in an attempt to access its wiring – and hired a lorry to carry it back to their home. 'I have to confess … it was kind of fun stealing back our own car,' Ms Forbes Pirie said in a LinkedIn post . 'But it does make me wonder whether we should have had to do that. And not whether it's normal, but whether it's right that the police seem to have no interest in investigating what is likely to have been a reasonably sophisticated operation involving a flat bed truck. 'If there are no consequences, what is the incentive for people not to do more of this?' Police reportedly contacted the couple but have not sent a forensics team to look at the car nearly a week after the theft. Ms Forbes Pirie added: 'Since we've found it lots of people have touched the car and the police say that they're going to look underneath the carpets and at the fuse box to see if there are prints there. But it wouldn't have cost very much for them to tell us not to touch anything. That's the one criticism I have. 'The police are under-resourced and it's a shame. But if there ­aren't any consequences to people stealing cars or a lot of the other crimes where there aren't any consequences, then I don't really see what the deterrent is to stop people from doing it more.' The Metropolitan Police said: 'On Tuesday, 3 June at 10:06hrs, police were alerted to the theft of a vehicle on Sterndale Road, W14. More Trending 'Officers spoke to the victim, who shared his intention to recover the vehicle himself. An Apple Airtag was inside, allowing the victim to view its location and trace it. 'The victim was reminded by officers to contact police again as needed or if police assistance was necessary at the vehicle's location. 'At 11:23hrs the victim confirmed with police that he had found the vehicle and that it was being recovered by a truck back to the victim's home address. 'This investigation is ongoing and police are working with the victim. No arrests have been made at this stage.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Boy's alleged killer 'was flat Earth conspiracy theorist inspired by Elon Musk' MORE: Bungling ram raider used shopping basket to make off with loot after bag broke MORE: Two dead after gunman opens fire outside Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas

Investigation launched after deportee breaks free on Heathrow runway
Investigation launched after deportee breaks free on Heathrow runway

The Guardian

timean hour ago

  • The Guardian

Investigation launched after deportee breaks free on Heathrow runway

An inquiry is under way into how an immigration detainee who was being deported from the UK managed to free himself from restraints and started to run, close to the takeoff paths of planes at Heathrow airport. The man who was captured on film sprinting across the runway at Terminal 2 on Sunday evening was about to be deported to India but managed to break free from the guards holding on to his waist restraint belt while escorting him to the plane. A spokesperson for Mitie, which holds a Home Office contract for removing migrants from the UK, told the Guardian: 'An investigation into the incident is under way. The individual was quickly apprehended, reboarded the flight, and was handed over to the relevant authorities on landing.' The incident came to light because it was captured by a plane spotter and aired on the YouTube channel Big Jet TV. The person who filmed the incident can be heard saying: 'What's going on here? Why would there be people running across the [tarmac]?' After the man was stopped, the narrator added: 'What the hell was that all about? They are stopping aircraft taxiing as well.' Metropolitan police sources confirmed that they played a role in detaining the man and that normal operations then resumed at the airport. John Van Hoogstraten, an aviation expert at Straten Consulting Services Ltd, said: 'What is known as the movement area of the airport is the entire airside. We have to consider all movement in this area, whether it's wildlife or something else. It's always a challenge for airports about how to get people on to planes if they're not using an air bridge. 'The minute an unaccounted person is airside there's no protection about what happens next in operations. In these cases aircraft have to cease operations. They will be told to stop immediately. Safety is paramount. A jet blast is sufficient to severely injure if not kill a person. The reaction of a pilot trying to land a plane and seeing a person try to cross a runway can be devastating.' A Heathrow spokesperson said: 'Working with partners, we have quickly resolved an incident at the airport involving an individual who accessed the airfield taxiway. The airport continues to operate as normal and passengers are travelling as planned.' Home Office sources confirmed that Mitie was investigating the incident.

Murder suspects remanded in custody accused of killing boy, 16
Murder suspects remanded in custody accused of killing boy, 16

South Wales Argus

time4 hours ago

  • South Wales Argus

Murder suspects remanded in custody accused of killing boy, 16

Zulkernain Ahmed, 20, and Armaan Ahmed, 26, were not asked to enter any pleas when they were remanded in custody at Sheffield Magistrates' Court accused of killing Abdullah Yaser Abdullah Al Yazidi. The teenager was walking along Staniforth Road in the Darnall area of Sheffield last Wednesday when he was hit by an Audi car and suffered fatal injuries. Abdullah Yaser Abdullah Al Yazidi, who died after being hit by a car last week (South Yorkshire Police/PA) Police said officers understood that the Audi had driven towards three electric bikes, colliding with one rider, an 18-year-old man who suffered serious but non life-threatening injuries. District Judge James Gould was told that the two defendants are both charged with the same offences, all alleged to have been committed on Wednesday June 4. The judge told Ahmed and Ahmed, who appeared alongside each other in the glass-fronted dock: 'The next hearing in your case in respect of all of these charges is the 10th of June at the crown court in Sheffield. 'You have no right to apply for bail at this stage and accordingly you are remanded in custody and you will appear tomorrow at the Crown Court.' During the three-minute hearing on Monday, the men, both of Locke Drive, Darnall, spoke only to give their names, dates of birth and address. Police at the scene in the Darnall area last week (Dave Higgens/PA) Details of the attempted murder charges were not read to the defendants, who were both represented by the same defence lawyer. Relatives of Abdullah said last week that he had recently arrived in the UK from Yemen 'for a better future' and was devoted to his family. He arrived in the UK two or three months ago, and was enjoying learning English ahead of starting at college in September. Abdullah's relative Saleh Alsirkal said: 'His dad brought him over to change his life, to get a better future for his son, but this has happened and destroyed everything.' Mr Alsirkal added that Abdullah was a 'kind boy' who just wanted to look after his family, including his three sisters. Two people, a man aged 46 and a 45-year-old woman, arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, have both been bailed pending further inquiries, police said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store