Latest news with #Marsalek
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
6 Bulgarian nationals sentenced in the UK for spying for Russia
A London court on May 12 sentenced six Bulgarian nationals to prison terms for operating a Russian espionage network in Britain, according to Reuters. The convictions mark a significant development in Britain's efforts to counter Russian intelligence operations amid heightened tensions stemming from Moscow's war against Ukraine and repeated Kremlin threats toward Kyiv's allies. Orlin Roussev, 47, identified as the ringleader, was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months for conducting six espionage operations that threatened U.K. national security. Judge Nicholas Hilliard described Roussev's actions as posing a serious threat to the country. Roussev's deputy, Bizer Dzhambazov, 44, received a sentence of 10 years and 2 months. Both men had pleaded guilty. Katrin Ivanova, 33, who was recruited by Dzhambazov, was sentenced to 9 years and 8 months, while Vanya Gaberova, 30, received 6 years, 8 months, and 3 weeks. Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, was sentenced to 8 years after the court acknowledged that he had ceased his involvement before the group's 2023 arrest. Ivan Stoyanov, 33, who entered a late guilty plea, was sentenced to 5 years and 3 weeks. Prosecutors said the network acted not directly as part of the Russian intelligence network but rather for financial gain. The Russian embassy in London did not comment on the verdict. The Kremlin has traditionally denied espionage allegations. Police uncovered thousands of communications linking Roussev to fugitive Jan Marsalek, a former executive at financial services company Wirecard, accused of coordinating the Bulgarian network from abroad. Marsalek, suspected of being an agent of Russian intelligence, fled to Belarus and reportedly remains in Russia under Federal Security Service (FSB) protection. Western intelligence agencies believe Marsalek used Wirecard to funnel money supporting covert Russian operations worldwide. Wirecard collapsed in 2020 after 1.9 billion euros ($2.1 billion) vanished from its accounts. The verdict comes as British officials have reportedly been ordered to revise contingency plans to put the country on war alert following repeated Russian threats. The U.K. has remained one of Ukraine's staunchest allies since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, supplying advanced weaponry, military training, and diplomatic support for Kyiv's sovereignty. Read also: Upping pressure on Putin, Trump says 'both leaders' will be at Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The Star
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Russian spy ring leader jailed in UK for nearly 11 years
LONDON (Reuters) -The leader of a British-based Russian spy ring which prosecutors said carried out surveillance for the Kremlin was sentenced in a London court on Monday 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 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. Judge Nicholas Hilliard sentenced Roussev to 10 years and eight months in prison, telling Roussev that the operations he had directed posed a serious risk to Britain's national security. Roussev is one of six Bulgarians convicted over their roles in the team directed by Marsalek to carry out surveillance on journalists, dissidents and Ukrainian soldiers being trained at a U.S. military base in Germany. Three of the group were found guilty in March after a trial, while Roussev, his deputy Bizer Dzhambazov, 44, and a third man – Ivan Stoyanov, 33 – pleaded guilty last year. Dzhambazov was sentenced to 10 years and two months, while his former partner Katrin Ivanova, 33, received a sentence of nine years and eight months. Vanya Gaberova, 30, was sentenced to eight years in jail, minus a period of one year and three months which she has already spent in custody. Her former partner Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, was sentenced to eight years. Stoyanov was sentenced to six years and four months, less time already served. Prosecutors said the unit did not work directly for Russian intelligence and were motivated mostly by money. The Russian embassy in London has not commented on the case, though the Kremlin has always rejected such spying allegations. Relations between Britain and Russia have plunged to post-Cold War lows since the start of the Ukraine war, with Britain accusing Russia of trying to cause "mayhem" in Europe. Marsalek's lawyer in Germany – where he is wanted as the former chief operating officer of collapsed payments company Wirecard – previously declined to comment. His whereabouts are unknown but he is believed to be in Russia. 'INDUSTRIAL SCALE' ESPIONAGE Prosecutors said the spy ring's activities posed a serious threat to British national security, while police said the unit had been "spying on an almost industrial scale". One of their operations was a plan to intercept mobile phone signals at Patch barracks, a U.S. base near Stuttgart where Ukrainian troops were believed to be training to use surface-to-air Patriot missiles, prosecutors added. Much of the case focused on thousands of messages between Marsalek and Roussev, which contained half-baked plans and jokes about Russian operations on British soil, including the 2018 poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal. In July 2022, Marsalek sent Roussev a selfie of himself dressed in full military combat gear with a "Z" logo, adopted by Russia's military as a symbol of their invasion of Ukraine. The pair repeatedly referred to Russia's GRU military intelligence and other security services, and discussed plans to supply drones to Russia and weapons to Cameroon, as well as speaking of their admiration for Elon Musk. Marsalek and Roussev also discussed organising an airlift out of Kabul in 2021 as the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan. (Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by Michael Holden and Andrew Heavens)
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian spy ring leader jailed in UK for nearly 11 years
LONDON (Reuters) -The leader of a British-based Russian spy ring which prosecutors said carried out surveillance for the Kremlin was on Monday sentenced in a London court to nearly 11 years in jail. Orlin Roussev, 47, pleaded guilty 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. Judge Nicholas Hilliard sentenced Roussev to 10 years and eight months in prison, telling Roussev that the operations he had directed posed a serious risk to Britain's national security. Roussev is one of six Bulgarians convicted over their roles in the team directed by Marsalek to carry out surveillance on journalists, dissidents and Ukrainian soldiers being trained at a U.S. military base in Germany. Three of the group were found guilty in March after a trial, while Roussev, his deputy Biser Dzhambazov, 44, and a third man – Ivan Stoyanov, 33 – pleaded guilty last year. Dzhambazov was sentenced to 10 years and two months. Prosecutors said the unit did not work directly for Russian intelligence and were motivated mostly by money. The Russian embassy in London has not commented on the case, though the Kremlin has always rejected such spying allegations. Relations between Britain and Russia have plunged to post-Cold War lows since the start of the Ukraine war, with Britain accusing Russia of trying to cause "mayhem" in Europe. Marsalek's lawyer in Germany – where he is wanted as the former chief operating officer of collapsed payments company Wirecard – previously declined to comment. His whereabouts are unknown but he is believed to be in Russia.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bulgarians convicted of spying for Russia face 'double figure sentences'
Six Bulgarians convicted of spying for Russia face significant jail terms when they are sentenced at the Old Bailey in London on Monday. Orlin Roussev, Biser Dzhambazov, Katrin Ivanova, Tihomir Ivanchev, Ivan Stoyanov and Vanya Gaberova will be sentenced for their part in a Russian spy ring run from a 33-room Great Yarmouth guest house. Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said double figure sentences were appropriate for many of the defendants, who she said had endangered lives and harmed national security. Evidence placed before the court this week has revealed new details of the spy cell's activities as well as their controller for Russian intelligence services Jan Marsalek's life on the run. A Telegram exchange from August 2021 between Marsalek, an Austrian fugitive who fled fraud charges in Germany, and the UK spy cell's leader, Roussev, indicates the pair were contracted by the CIA to organise an evacuation flight from Kabul airport shortly before a suicide bombing. "Interesting request from our friends, sort of, at the CIA," Marsalek wrote to Roussev on 17 August 2021. "They urgently need aircraft to fly out contractors from Afghanistan." In subsequent messages Roussev and Marsalek planned the airlift. "In the end, they did it," Mark Summers KC said in mitigation for Roussev on Thursday. "We don't offer that as some humanitarian effort. It was, as with everything else Mr Roussev does, fixing for money. Mr Roussev is not an anti-western ideologue." On Friday, Rupert Bowers KC, on behalf of Ivanova, told the court that she had been "lied to and manipulated by her partner" Dzhambazov. Ivanchev's barrister, Mozammel Hossain KC, said his client was the "ultimate minion" and an "outsider in this case". Stoyanov, according to his barrister Hossein Zahir KC, was "remorseful" and "accepts he acted in a selfish way". Peter Wright KC said that the messages that Dzhambazov sent did not "contain proposals of harm" and that his client "embellished" his actions to make more money from them. Further messages, which were not included in evidence during an earlier trial of Ivanova, Ivanchev and Gaberova, reveal Marsalek and Roussev plotted to trade weapons for diamonds. "We can collect and inspect the diamonds in either Angola, Belgium Congo, Kenya," Roussev wrote to Marsalek. "These guys want to spend around 60 million on guns and light infantry vehicles and pay with diamonds," he added later. When Marsalek asked who the end client was, Roussev said: "Allegedly only government… but who knows…" Marsalek, who is reported to be in Moscow, is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, following his escape from justice. Messages reveal he has had plastic surgery to alter his appearance as well as details of his life as a fugitive. "I'm off to bed. Had another cosmetic surgery, trying to look differently, and I am dead tired and my head hurts," Marsalek wrote to Roussev on Telegram in February 2022. In another, dated 11 May 2021, Roussev congratulated Marsalek for learning Russian. "Well I am trying to improve my skills on a few fronts. Languages is one of them," the Austrian responded. "In my new role as an international fugitive I must outperform James Bond." In September that year, Marsalek wrote to Roussev complaining about being forced to drink a bottle of gin by "some deep-state guys who's [sic] names no one knows" while stuck between them, "the mafia, half of Russia's ambassadors, the GRU" and "a dozen naked girls". During an exchange of messages between the pair in April 2021, Marsalek joked to Roussev: "Together we can pretty much organise anything they need except nukes. Even the nukes if they pay." Ivanova, Gaberova and Ivanchev were convicted of conspiracy to spy for Russia in March following a lengthy trial. Roussev, Dzhambazov and Stoyanov had previously pleaded guilty. At the direction of Marsalek, acting on behalf of Russian intelligence services, the cell conducted surveillance operations on targets including investigative journalists, Russian dissidents and political figures. They targeted Ukrainian soldiers believed to be training to use Patriot Missile Systems at a German military base, in an apparent effort to assist the neutralisation of Ukrainian air defences. Roussev and Marsalek plotted murder and kidnap in service of the Kremlin, though these plans were never realised. Ms Morgan read statements from victims of the spy ring's surveillance on Thursday. Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian investigative journalist said it had a "profound and enduring impact" on his life. He described it as "terrifying, disorientating and deeply destabilising". "The consequences are not easily reversed," he said. "For my family and me the damage is ongoing." Russian spies attended Brexit event in Parliament Two women who spied for Russia tracked down and named by BBC How spy ring did Russia's dirty work from the UK
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bulgarians convicted of spying for Russia face 'double figure sentences'
Six Bulgarians convicted of spying for Russia face significant jail terms when they are sentenced at the Old Bailey in London on Monday. Orlin Roussev, Biser Dzhambazov, Katrin Ivanova, Tihomir Ivanchev, Ivan Stoyanov and Vanya Gaberova will be sentenced for their part in a Russian spy ring run from a 33-room Great Yarmouth guest house. Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said double figure sentences were appropriate for many of the defendants, who she said had endangered lives and harmed national security. Evidence placed before the court this week has revealed new details of the spy cell's activities as well as their controller for Russian intelligence services Jan Marsalek's life on the run. A Telegram exchange from August 2021 between Marsalek, an Austrian fugitive who fled fraud charges in Germany, and the UK spy cell's leader, Roussev, indicates the pair were contracted by the CIA to organise an evacuation flight from Kabul airport shortly before a suicide bombing. "Interesting request from our friends, sort of, at the CIA," Marsalek wrote to Roussev on 17 August 2021. "They urgently need aircraft to fly out contractors from Afghanistan." In subsequent messages Roussev and Marsalek planned the airlift. "In the end, they did it," Mark Summers KC said in mitigation for Roussev on Thursday. "We don't offer that as some humanitarian effort. It was, as with everything else Mr Roussev does, fixing for money. Mr Roussev is not an anti-western ideologue." On Friday, Rupert Bowers KC, on behalf of Ivanova, told the court that she had been "lied to and manipulated by her partner" Dzhambazov. Ivanchev's barrister, Mozammel Hossain KC, said his client was the "ultimate minion" and an "outsider in this case". Stoyanov, according to his barrister Hossein Zahir KC, was "remorseful" and "accepts he acted in a selfish way". Peter Wright KC said that the messages that Dzhambazov sent did not "contain proposals of harm" and that his client "embellished" his actions to make more money from them. Further messages, which were not included in evidence during an earlier trial of Ivanova, Ivanchev and Gaberova, reveal Marsalek and Roussev plotted to trade weapons for diamonds. "We can collect and inspect the diamonds in either Angola, Belgium Congo, Kenya," Roussev wrote to Marsalek. "These guys want to spend around 60 million on guns and light infantry vehicles and pay with diamonds," he added later. When Marsalek asked who the end client was, Roussev said: "Allegedly only government… but who knows…" Marsalek, who is reported to be in Moscow, is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, following his escape from justice. Messages reveal he has had plastic surgery to alter his appearance as well as details of his life as a fugitive. "I'm off to bed. Had another cosmetic surgery, trying to look differently, and I am dead tired and my head hurts," Marsalek wrote to Roussev on Telegram in February 2022. In another, dated 11 May 2021, Roussev congratulated Marsalek for learning Russian. "Well I am trying to improve my skills on a few fronts. Languages is one of them," the Austrian responded. "In my new role as an international fugitive I must outperform James Bond." In September that year, Marsalek wrote to Roussev complaining about being forced to drink a bottle of gin by "some deep-state guys who's [sic] names no one knows" while stuck between them, "the mafia, half of Russia's ambassadors, the GRU" and "a dozen naked girls". During an exchange of messages between the pair in April 2021, Marsalek joked to Roussev: "Together we can pretty much organise anything they need except nukes. Even the nukes if they pay." Ivanova, Gaberova and Ivanchev were convicted of conspiracy to spy for Russia in March following a lengthy trial. Roussev, Dzhambazov and Stoyanov had previously pleaded guilty. At the direction of Marsalek, acting on behalf of Russian intelligence services, the cell conducted surveillance operations on targets including investigative journalists, Russian dissidents and political figures. They targeted Ukrainian soldiers believed to be training to use Patriot Missile Systems at a German military base, in an apparent effort to assist the neutralisation of Ukrainian air defences. Roussev and Marsalek plotted murder and kidnap in service of the Kremlin, though these plans were never realised. Ms Morgan read statements from victims of the spy ring's surveillance on Thursday. Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian investigative journalist said it had a "profound and enduring impact" on his life. He described it as "terrifying, disorientating and deeply destabilising". "The consequences are not easily reversed," he said. "For my family and me the damage is ongoing." Russian spies attended Brexit event in Parliament Two women who spied for Russia tracked down and named by BBC How spy ring did Russia's dirty work from the UK
