‘A serious risk to British national security' – Russian spy-ring leader jailed for 11 years
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The leader of a British-based Russian spy ring that prosecutors said carried out surveillance for the Kremlin was sentenced yesterday to nearly 11 years in jail, as his five team members were jailed for a total of about 40 years.
Orlin Roussev (47) pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey before trial to one count of conspiracy to spy for Russia after police found thousands of messages between him and Wirecard fugitive Jan Marsalek, who directed the unit of Bulgarian nationals from overseas.
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Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Robert Pether 'unrecognisable' after four-years in Iraqi prison, says wife
The wife of an Irish-based engineer who has been released after serving four years in an Iraqi prison says she was shocked by how much his health has deteriorated, after speaking with him on a video call. Desree Pether's husband Robert has been in prison in Iraq since April 7, 2021, after being arrested on fraud charges following a contractual dispute involving his employer over the building of a new Central Bank building in Iraq. Mr Pether, an Australian native, had been living in Elphin, Co Roscommon, with his wife and children before his arrest. He and and an Egyptian colleague were detained after being summoned to a meeting in Baghdad to discuss the ongoing project. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Desree said she had urged him not to return to Baghdad while the dispute was unresolved. She said however that he had been worried about his colleagues there and 'didn't not want to go back and resolve it'. She spoke with him on a video call on Thursday after his release on bail. However, he remains under a travel ban and cannot yet return home. She said that he was 'completely unrecognisable' and said: 'It is a shock to the system to see how far he has declined. He is not well at all and he really needs to just come home so that he can get the proper medical care that he needs.' She said he has fainted 'a few times in the last couple of months due to the fact that he is not eating properly because he can't keep anything down so if he fainted, he had a bunch of people in the cell looking after him and giving him tea with honey to try to help him so it was the best of a bad situation.' Reflecting on her campaign for his release, she said: 'It has been beyond frustrating, it has been a living nightmare every day, 18 hours a day, seven days a week and it's not over.' She explained: 'It is one small step in the right direction finally after over four years. It was four years in April. It is exhausting and I would like to just lie down and just sleep for a year but it's not over and we still need to get that travel ban lifted.' She said she remains unsure what steps are needed to remove the ban. 'We still have another major battle ahead to get him home and until he is actually on a plane out of airspace and on his way, I don't think we will actually breathe properly and let go of all the angst.' His release was confirmed on Thursday evening by Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Harris. Mr Harris said it is very welcome news in a long and distressing saga for his family and loved ones. "Foreign Minister Hussein of Iraq, whom I spoke to last month to urge Robert's release, called me this evening with the news," the foreign affairs minister said in a statement. "I was informed that Robert has been released on bail and for the moment he remains in Iraq, but I welcomed this as a first step to his being allowed to return to his family in Roscommon." Read More Irish-based Australian released after four years in Iraqi jail
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
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Four killed in Kyiv after Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine
The mayor of Kyiv said a Russian missile and drone attack has killed at least four people and injured 20 others in the capital, amid a wider attack across Ukraine. Vitali Klitschko said search and rescue operations are under way at several locations in the city. Multiple explosions were heard in Kyiv, where falling debris sparked fires across several districts as air defence systems attempted to intercept incoming targets, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration. The capital say several people killed in the strike (AP) 'Our air defence crews are doing everything possible. But we must protect one another – stay safe,' Mr Tkachenko wrote on Telegram. Authorities reported damage in several districts, and rescue workers are responding at multiple locations. They urged residents to seek shelter. In Solomyanskyi district, a fire broke out on the 11th floor of a 16-storey residential building. Residents were urged to take shelter during the strike (AP) Emergency services evacuated three people from the apartment, and rescue operations are ongoing. Another fire broke out in a metal warehouse. Mr Tkachenko said the metro tracks between two stations in Kyiv were damaged in the attack, but no fire or injuries were reported. In northern Chernihiv region, a Shahed drone exploded near an apartment building, shattering windows and doors, according to regional military administration chief Dmytro Bryzhynskyi. Kherson. The building of the regional state administration. Russian forces have completely destroyed it. Two strikes with aerial bombs. Deliberate strikes, not accidental. No military sense whatsoever. They are openly destroying life. Absolutely deranged creatures. Force is… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 5, 2025 He added that explosions from ballistic missiles were also recorded on the outskirts of the city. The night-time attack came hours after US President Donald Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia 'fight for a while' before pulling them apart and pursuing peace, in comments that were a remarkable detour from Mr Trump's often-stated appeals to stop the three-year war. The US leader spoke as he met with Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who appealed to him as the 'key person in the world' who could halt the bloodshed by pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sunday World
2 hours ago
- Sunday World
Backpacker faces jail in Oz after killing pedestrian while drunk on e-scooter
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