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Epoch Times
15-05-2025
- Epoch Times
6 Bulgarians Jailed for Spying for Russia
Six Bulgarians have been jailed after being convicted of spying for Russia on an industrial scale. 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. Mr. Justice Hilliard jailed Ivanova, of Harrow, northwest 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. Related Stories 1/14/2025 4/9/2025 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 spy ring 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. Katrin Ivanova, 33, who was found guilty at the Old Bailey of her part in one of the "largest and most complex" Russian spy operations to be uncovered on UK soil. Metropolitan Police/PA 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. When police moved to arrest the spies in February 2023, they found Dzhambazov 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. 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. 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. The Minion soft toys which were among the items found during the search of an address in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, where police arrested spy chief Orlin Roussev in 2023. Metropolitan Police/PA 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.'
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".
