Latest news with #BiserDzhambazov
Times
12-05-2025
- Times
Bulgarian honeytrap agents in Russian spy ring jailed
Two honeytrap agents who spied for Russia have been jailed after a judge ruled they were willing participants despite being tricked by their shared lover. Katrin Ivanova and Vanya Gaberova were both recruited to the espionage operation by Biser Dzhambazov, who ran the surveillance operations on the ground. Neither woman looked at Dzhambazov as six Bulgarian members of the spy ring controlled from a guesthouse in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, appeared for sentencing at the Old Bailey on Monday. Mr Justice Hilliard said the nation's 'safety and interests' were put at risk by the operations. He said spies provided a 'foothold' for the enemy intelligence services in the UK. The spies all have settled status in the UK under Brexit rules, but should be automatically deported
Sky News
12-05-2025
- Sky News
Six Bulgarians who ran Russian spy ring out of guesthouse on east of coast of England jailed
Six members of a Russian spy ring run from a guesthouse in Great Yarmouth have been jailed for running espionage operations across Europe. The six Bulgarian spies conducted surveillance for Russia "on an industrial scale", targeting journalists, dissidents and Ukrainian troops in London, Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro. Ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, who led the spy ring, was sentenced to 10 years and eight months. Roussev 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. Ivanova was jailed for nine years and eight months. 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. 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 animated film Despicable Me. Ivanova, a laboratory receptionist from Harrow, north London, and Gaberova, a beautician from Acton, west London, were in a love triangle with the operations chief of the spy ring. Pretended to have cancer Dzhambazov, a delivery driver who ran the ground operations of the spy ring, was pretending to have cancer to cover up his affair with Gaberova. The group also included Dzhambazov's best friend Stoyanov, 33, from Greenford, northwest London - a former cage fighter known as "The Rock" who had represented Bulgaria at judo and sambo. At the centre of the operation was Roussev, 46, who worked for a technology company at the London Stock Exchange before setting himself up as a freelance spy for hire. Roussev had lived near Tower Bridge in central London before moving to Great Yarmouth, where his partner bought the 33-room Haydee Guesthouse. It was there that he stashed his huge collection of spy equipment, much of which he had adapted himself. £173,000 paid to spies Roussev is believed to have received "substantially more" than the £173,000 he paid to other members of the spy ring but he was paid in cryptocurrencies and the money has not been traced. Among the spyware found at the seaside hotel were 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. Honey traps, but 'no James Bond activity' Their actual activities ranged between the UK, Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro and included dropping 100 litres of pigs' blood on the Kazakhstan embassy in London by drone, and kidnapping a man in the UK. They were overheard discussing deploying "lashes queen" Gaberova as a honeytrap to snare a high-profile journalist. After his arrest, Roussev initially denied spying for Russia, telling police: "No James Bond activity on my end, I guarantee you." At the televised sentencing, judge Mr Justice Hilliard, praised police for their "extremely thorough and determined investigative work". The defendants were "motivated by money", he said, and lived "very comfortably" on the substantial sums they were paid. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command, said the gang engaged in spying "on an industrial scale". He said they posed a "serious threat" to the UK and Europe and highlighted a "relatively new phenomenon whereby espionage is being 'outsourced' by certain states". Security minister Dan Jarvis said the "substantial" sentences they received "should send a clear warning to anyone seeking to threaten our security, harm the UK and compromise the safety of the public". He called the case a "stark reminder" of the "increasingly complex" threat facing the country from "hostile states who wish to undermine us. "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." He thanked the Crown Prosecution Service for "disrupting this threat and bringing these individuals to justice". Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
Sky News
12-05-2025
- Sky News
Six Bulgarian members of Russian spy ring run from Great Yarmouth guesthouse are jailed
Six members of a Russian spy ring run from a guesthouse in Great Yarmouth have been jailed for running espionage operations across Europe. The six Bulgarian spies conducted surveillance for Russia "on an industrial scale", targeting journalists, dissidents and Ukrainian troops in London, Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro. Ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, who led the spy ring, was sentenced to 10 years and eight months. Roussev 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. Ivanova was jailed for nine years and eight months. 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. 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 animated film Despicable Me. Ivanova, a laboratory receptionist from Harrow, north London, and Gaberova, a beautician from Acton, west London, were in a love triangle with the operations chief of the spy ring. Pretended to have cancer Dzhambazov, a delivery driver who ran the ground operations of the spy ring, was pretending to have cancer to cover up his affair with Gaberova. The group also included Dzhambazov's best friend Stoyanov, 33, from Greenford, northwest London - a former cage fighter known as "The Rock" who had represented Bulgaria at judo and sambo. At the centre of the operation was Roussev, 46, who worked for a technology company at the London Stock Exchange before setting himself up as a freelance spy for hire. Roussev had lived near Tower Bridge in central London before moving to Great Yarmouth, where his partner bought the 33-room Haydee Guesthouse. It was there that he stashed his huge collection of spy equipment, much of which he had adapted himself. £173,000 paid to spies Roussev is believed to have received "substantially more" than the £173,000 he paid to other members of the spy ring but he was paid in cryptocurrencies and the money has not been traced. Among the spyware found at the seaside hotel were 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. Honey traps, but 'no James Bond activity' Their actual activities ranged between the UK, Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro and included dropping 100 litres of pigs' blood on the Kazakhstan embassy in London by drone, and kidnapping a man in the UK. They were overheard discussing deploying "lashes queen" Gaberova as a honeytrap to snare a high-profile journalist. After his arrest, Roussev initially denied spying for Russia, telling police: "No James Bond activity on my end, I guarantee you." At the televised sentencing, judge Mr Justice Hilliard, praised police for their "extremely thorough and determined investigative work". The defendants were "motivated by money", he said, and lived "very comfortably" on the substantial sums they were paid. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command, said the gang engaged in spying "on an industrial scale". He said they posed a "serious threat" to the UK and Europe and highlighted a "relatively new phenomenon whereby espionage is being 'outsourced' by certain states". Security minister Dan Jarvis said the "substantial" sentences they received "should send a clear warning to anyone seeking to threaten our security, harm the UK and compromise the safety of the public". He called the case a "stark reminder" of the "increasingly complex" threat facing the country from "hostile states who wish to undermine us. "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." He thanked the Crown Prosecution Service for "disrupting this threat and bringing these individuals to justice". Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Six Bulgarians jailed for spying for Russia
Six Bulgarian have been jailed for spying on the enemies of Russia's Vladimir Putin in the UK and a lengthy trial, the Old Bailey heard the ring was paid handsomely for their services, including spying on two journalists who had exposed nerve agent attacks on the Russian dissidents Alexei Navalny and Sergei Monday, the ringleader Orlin Roussev was jailed for 10 years and eight months for the charge of conspiracy to spy while his second-in-command, Biser Dzhambazov, was sentenced to 10 years and two months. Katrin Ivanova, Dzhambazov's partner, was jailed for nine years and eight months by Judge Justice Hilliard. Three others were jailed for between eight and six years. Watch live: Judge hands down sentences to six Bulgarians convicted of spying for Russia All had been convicted in March, after the court heard that they had conducted operations in the UK, Austria, Spain, Germany and targeted investigative journalists Christo Grozev and Roman Dobrokhotov, as well as Russian dissidents and political case against them, which has been described as "one of the largest" foreign intelligence operations in the UK, focused on six of their assignments. They were directed by Dzhambazov, the senior judge said the defendants were "motivated by money", with "substantial" sums of up to €1m (£840,000) Hilliard added that the sums of money paid to the spies demonstrated the "value" of their covert activities to the first time in a UK criminal court, the inner workings of a Russian operational spy cell were exposed in thousands of messages organising surveillance, photos and videos of their targets, and talk of plans to kidnap and placed before the court this week revealed new details about Jan Marsalek, the ring's controller for Russian intelligence an Austrian, is currently on the run and is wanted in Germany for alleged fraud linked to the financial services company spy ring referred to themselves as the "minions", inspired by the yellow sidekicks of the villain Gru in the Despicable Me children's film group also frequently referred to the Russian GRU agency - its military intelligence service - in Telegram police raided the Norfolk guesthouse housing the operation, they found a "treasure trove" of gadgets, including a Minion cuddly toy containing a sentencing, Roussev was ordered to pay a confiscation order of £180,768 in ill-gotten gains by August 2025. Tihomir Ivanchev, Ivan Stoyanov and Vanya Gaberova, the other three members of the gang, received shorter custodial terms of eight years, five years and three weeks, and six years and eight months sentenced was reduced to six years, eight months and three weeks following defence barrister Anthony Metzer KC said Gaberova, 30, was "controlled, coerced into this conspiracy by Mr Dzhambazov," who was her lover and also involved with Ivanova. The court was told she had been diagnosed with depression, panic disorder, claustrophobia and Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said the case was "a clear example" of the increasing threat of state espionage. He added that this case "highlights a relatively new phenomenon whereby espionage is being 'outsourced' by certain states".
The Guardian
12-05-2025
- The Guardian
Six Bulgarians jailed after spying for Russia in UK
Six Bulgarians convicted of spying for Russia in Britain have received jail sentences of up to 10 years and eight months at the Old Bailey. Orlin Roussev, 47, who was the leader of the ring and had pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 10 years and eight months for his role in executing six 'sophisticated' operations that risked national security and the safety of the public. His second-in-command, Biser Dzhambazov, 44, was jailed for 10 years and two months at the Old Bailey after also pleading guilty. Katrin Ivanova, 33, one of two women who were deployed as 'honeytraps' against the group's targets, was jailed for 9 years and eight months. Mr Justice Hilliard said he accepted she would not have become involved in the crimes without meeting Dzhambazov, but he told her she had 'thrown in' her lot with him 'by free choice for better or worse.' The other woman, Vanya Gaberova, 30, was given a sentence of six years, eight months and three weeks. While the judge made an allowance for a claustrophobia diagnosis, he told her that she knew what she was doing was for Russia and had found it 'exciting and glamorous.' Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, one of two lieutenants, was given a sentence of eight years by the judge, who noted reports of good behaviour and the fact his involvement in the ring stopped before their arrest in 2023. The other, Ivan Stoyanov, 33, was given five years and three weeks' imprisonment after pleading guilty, albeit at what the judge noted was a late stage. Mr Justice Hilliard told each defendant that they would need to serve half their sentence before being eligible for parole and then would be liable for automatic deportation to Bulgaria. Earlier, he detailed six identified spy plots carried out by the defendants, some of whom he said were more culpable. Directed by Roussev's second-in-command, Dzhambazov, he said the defendants were 'motivated by money', with 'substantial' sums of up to €1m (£842,000) discussed. This, he said, demonstrated the 'value' of their covert activities to Russia. 'Some of the money would have covered their expenses, but not all. This enabled the defendants to live very comfortably. It must have been thought that what the defendants were doing was of value. The spy ring was engaged in surveillance and intelligence operations between 2020 and 2023, targeting journalists and Russian dissidents. Working out of a guesthouse in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, it was directed from abroad by Jan Marsalek, an Austrian businessman who had fled to Russia in 2020 after the payments company he helped to run, Wirecard, collapsed amid a €1.9bn (£1.6bn) fraud. Marsalek, who is believed to be in Moscow but is wanted in Germany over the Wirecard scandal, was working for the Russian FSB state security service and the GRU military intelligence agency. He directed surveillance in Bulgaria, Austria and Spain of Christo Grozev, an investigative journalist who had helped implicate Russian spies in the poisoning of the opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion Marsalek also instructed gang members, including Ivanova, to steal mobile phone numbers of Ukrainian troops believed to be training at a US barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, using a military-grade spying device. In a televised sentencing, Mr Justice Hilliard commended officers for their 'extremely thorough and determined investigative work.' 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. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said after sentencing that the strength of the investigation into the group's surveillance operations had left the ringleaders – Roussev and Dzhambazov - with no option but to plead guilty to the charges. '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. Frank Ferguson, Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said that, by targeting individuals in the UK fleeing persecution as well as journalists opposing the Russian regime, the the group had undermined the message that the UK is a safe country for those people. 'This prolonged activity also undermined the security and safety of the UK; and there can be no doubt that each of the defendants knew exactly who they were spying for,' he added.
