Latest news with #OrlinRoussev
Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Russia spy warning over claims Putin's agents are 'disguised as lost tourists'
Vladimir Putin's Russian spies are posing as lost tourists as a spy agency warned citizens to keep an eye out for Kremlin agents lurking in their own neighbourhoods A spy agency has said Vladimir Putin's spooks are appearing as lost tourists. A report by the Latvian State Security Service (MIDD) said Russian intelligence operatives disguised as civilians is an increasing concern for authorities. The report also said Kremlin spies are the biggest threat to Latvia's national security, as it warned of spooks appearing in untidy clothing such as sportswear or mismatched military clothing. People should be wary of suspicious individuals appearing to be lost and asking locals strange questions, the MIDD said. 'If you do think you might have spotted a sabotage group on Latvian soil, MIDD does not recommend tackling them yourself," the report urged residents. "Instead report your suspicions to the State Police, special services, or the nearest armed forces unit.' Not all operatives appear the same and citizens should consider the context when coming across someone they may suspect. They are most likely to loiter close to critical infrastructure or even near military sites. The spies are 'highly adaptive', the report says, basing some of its assessment on 'experience from Ukraine '. Operatives could be there to try and destabilise society or even target individuals for assassination. Similar concerns have been raised by Finland's Security and Intelligence Service (SUPO). It said there had been sabotage operations linked to operatives the GRU, one of Russia's intelligence agencies. Earlier this week, six Bulgarians were 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, 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.
The Independent
13-05-2025
- The Independent
Watch: Bulgarian spy ringleader denies any ‘James Bond activity' in police interview
Video released by the Metropolitan Police shows Bulgarian spy ringleader Orlin Roussev denying any 'James Bond activity' to officers. Roussev was one of six Bulgarians jailed on Monday after being convicted of spying for Russia. 'I will be thrilled to see how on God's Earth there is a connection between me and Russia or any other state, because I haven't been a spy or a government agency employee for a state or states,' he tells officers in the video. There was 'no James Bond activity on my end, I guarantee it', he adds.
Yomiuri Shimbun
13-05-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
6 Bulgarians Convicted in UK of Spying for Russia Get Prison Terms up to Nearly 11 Years
Metropolitan Police via AP This undated file handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police shows Orlin Roussev who has been sentenced to 10 years and eight months in prison at the Old Bailey. LONDON (AP) — Six Bulgarians convicted of carrying out a sophisticated spying operation for Russia were sentenced by a London judge Monday to prison terms up to nearly 11 years. The group that used Hollywood code names discussed kidnapping or killing Kremlin opponents as they targeted reporters, diplomats and Ukrainian troops in the U.K., Germany Austria, Spain and Montenegro between 2020 and 2023, prosecutors said. No one was physically harmed but the group put lives in jeopardy, prosecutors said. 'It is self-evident that a high price attaches to the safety and interests of this nation,' Justice Nicholas Hilliard, said. 'The defendants put these things at risk by using this country as a base from which to plan the various operations. … Anyone who uses this country in that way, in the circumstances of this case, commits a very serious offense.' Ringleader Orlin Roussev, who operated out of a former guesthouse in the English seaside resort town of Great Yarmouth, was given the stiffest sentence — 10 years and 8 months in prison — for being involved in all six operations discovered by police. He and the others faced up to 14 years behind bars. Roussev worked for alleged Russian agent Jan Marsalek, an Austrian national who is wanted by Interpol for fraud and embezzlement after the 2020 collapse of German payment processing firm Wirecard, prosecutors said. His whereabouts are unknown. Stiff sentences send a message Security Minister Dan Jarvis said the case sends a warning to other foes that Britain will use its 'full range of tools' to 'detect, disrupt, and deter malicious acts from hostile states and protect the public.' Roussev, 47, and his lieutenant Biser Dzhambazov, 44, pleaded guilty in London's Central Criminal Court last year to espionage charges and having false identity documents. Dzhambazov was sentenced to 10 years and 2 months in prison. Roussev called himself Jackie Chan and Dzhambazov was dubbed Mad Max, or Jean-Claude Van Damme. Their underlings were dubbed 'Minions' from the animated 'Despicable Me' franchise. Police said their fanciful pseudonyms masked a deadly serious gang. In one operation, members tried to lure a journalist who uncovered Moscow's involvement in the 2018 Novichok poisoning of a former Russian spy in Salisbury, England, into a 'honeytrap' romance with another member of the group, Vanya Gaberova. The spies followed Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian researcher for the online publication Bellingcat, from Vienna to a conference in Valencia, Spain, and the gang's ringleaders discussed robbing and killing him, or kidnapping him and taking him to Russia. 'Learning only in retrospect that foreign agents have been monitoring my movements, communications and home, surveying my loved ones over an extended period — has been terrifying, disorientating and deeply destabilizing,' Grozev said in a statement read during the four-day sentencing hearing. 'The consequences have not faded with time — they have fundamentally changed how I live my daily life and how I relate to the world around me.' Ringleader claimed he was 'no James Bond' In another operation, members of the group conducted surveillance on a U.S. air base in Germany where they believed Ukrainian troops were training. After police raided his house and arrested Roussev, he denied doing anything on behalf of any government. 'I would be thrilled to see how on God's earth there is a connection between me and Russia or any other state because I haven't been a spy or government agent,' Roussev said in a police interview. 'No James Bond activity on my end, I guarantee you.' Messages to Marsalek, however, showed him talking about his 'Indiana Jones warehouse' of spy equipment and said he was becoming like 'Q,' the mastermind behind Bond's gadgets. Roussev's house was loaded with spy tech. He had equipment used to jam Wi-Fi and GPS signals, along with eavesdropping devices and car trackers. Cameras were hidden in sunglasses, pens, neckties and cuddly toys, including one in a Minion doll. A selfie of Marsalek wearing a Russian uniform was found on Roussev's phone. Three of the so-called minions were convicted at trial in March of spying for an enemy state. Katrin Ivanova, 33, was sentenced to 9 years and 8 months in prison; Gaberova, 30, was sentenced to 6 years and 8 months; and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, was sentenced to 8 years. Ivan Stoyanov, 33, a mixed martial arts fighter who pleaded guilty to spying for Russia, was sentenced to 5 years and 3 weeks. Each convict faces deportation after they are released from prison. Spy ring contains love triangle Both women had claimed during the trial that they had been deceived and manipulated by Dzhambazov. Dzhambazov, who worked for a medical courier company but claimed to be an Interpol police officer, was in a relationship with both women — his laboratory assistant and longtime partner Ivanova and beautician Gaberova. Gaberova had ditched painter-decorator Ivanchev for the 'ugly' Dzhambazov, who took her to a Michelin-starred restaurant and stayed with her in a five-star hotel during a surveillance mission. When police arrested the suspects in February 2023, they found Dzhambazov naked in bed with Gaberova rather than at home with Ivanova. Defense lawyer Anthony Metzer said Gaberova was naive and her case was tragic as she 'slipped into criminality' under Dzhambazov's romantic spell. But the judge said she knew what she was doing was for Russia. 'You found what you were doing exciting and glamorous, as demonstrated by the film you took of yourself wearing surveillance glasses in Montenegro,' Justice Hilliard said.
ABC News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Six Bulgarian spies jailed for feeding information to Russia
Six Bulgarian spies have been sentenced by a London judge to prison terms of up to nearly 11 years for carrying out a sophisticated spying operation for Russia. The group that used Hollywood code names discussed kidnapping or killing Kremlin opponents as they targeted reporters, diplomats and Ukrainian troops in the UK, Germany Austria, Spain and Montenegro between 2020 and 2023, prosecutors said, on Monday. No-one was physically harmed but the group put lives in jeopardy, prosecutors said. "It is self-evident that a high price attaches to the safety and interests of this nation," Justice Nicholas Hilliard said. "The defendants put these things at risk by using this country as a base from which to plan the various operations. "Anyone who uses this country in that way, in the circumstances of this case, commits a very serious offence." Ringleader Orlin Roussev, who operated out of a former guesthouse in the English seaside resort town of Great Yarmouth, was given the stiffest sentence — 10 years and eight months in prison — for being involved in all six operations discovered by police. He and the others faced up to 14 years behind bars. Roussev worked for alleged Russian agent Jan Marsalek, an Austrian national who is wanted by Interpol for fraud and embezzlement after the 2020 collapse of German payment processing firm Wirecard, prosecutors said. His whereabouts are unknown. Security Minister Dan Jarvis said the case sent a warning that Britain would use its "full range of tools" to "detect, disrupt, and deter malicious acts from hostile states and protect the public". Roussev, 47, and his lieutenant Biser Dzhambazov, 44, pleaded guilty in London's Central Criminal Court last year to espionage charges and having false identity documents. Dzhambazov was sentenced to 10 years and two months in prison. Roussev called himself Jackie Chan and Dzhambazov was dubbed Mad Max or Jean-Claude Van Damme. Their underlings were dubbed "Minions" from the animated Despicable Me film franchise. Police said their fanciful pseudonyms masked a deadly serious gang. In one operation, members tried to lure a journalist who uncovered Moscow's involvement in the 2018 Novichok poisoning of a former Russian spy in Salisbury, England, into a "honeytrap" romance with another member of the group, Vanya Gaberova. The spies followed Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian researcher for the online publication Bellingcat, from Vienna to a conference in Valencia, Spain, and the gang's ringleaders discussed robbing and killing him, or kidnapping him and taking him to Russia. "Learning only in retrospect that foreign agents have been monitoring my movements, communications and home, surveying my loved ones over an extended period, has been terrifying, disorientating and deeply destabilising," Grozev said in a statement read during the four-day sentencing hearing. "The consequences have not faded with time — they have fundamentally changed how I live my daily life and how I relate to the world around me." In another operation, members of the group conducted surveillance on a US air base in Germany where they believed Ukrainian troops were training. After police raided his house and arrested Roussev, he denied doing anything on behalf of any government. "I would be thrilled to see how on God's earth there is a connection between me and Russia or any other state because I haven't been a spy or government agent," Roussev said in a police interview. "No James Bond activity on my end, I guarantee you." Messages to Marsalek, however, showed him talking about his "Indiana Jones warehouse" of spy equipment and said he was becoming like "Q," the mastermind behind Bond's gadgets. Roussev's house was loaded with spy tech. He had equipment used to jam Wi-Fi and GPS signals, along with eavesdropping devices and car trackers. Cameras were hidden in sunglasses, pens, neckties and cuddly toys, including one in a Minion doll. A selfie of Marsalek wearing a Russian uniform was found on Roussev's phone. Three of the so-called minions were convicted at trial in March of spying for an enemy state. Katrin Ivanova, 33, was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison; Gaberova, 30, was sentenced to six years and eight months; and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, was sentenced to eight years in prison. Ivan Stoyanov, 33, a mixed martial arts fighter who pleaded guilty to spying for Russia, was sentenced to five years and three weeks in prison. Each convict faces deportation after they are released from prison. Both women had claimed during the trial that they had been deceived and manipulated by Dzhambazov. Dzhambazov, who worked for a medical courier company but claimed to be an Interpol police officer, was in a relationship with both women — his laboratory assistant and longtime partner Ivanova and beautician Gaberova. Gaberova had ditched painter-decorator Ivanchev for the "ugly" Dzhambazov, who took her to a Michelin-starred restaurant and stayed with her in a five-star hotel during a surveillance mission. When police arrested the suspects in February 2023, they found Dzhambazov naked in bed with Gaberova rather than at home with Ivanova. Defence lawyer Anthony Metzer said Gaberova was naive and her case was tragic as she "slipped into criminality" under Dzhambazov's romantic spell. But the judge said she knew what she was doing was for Russia. "You found what you were doing exciting and glamorous, as demonstrated by the film you took of yourself wearing surveillance glasses in Montenegro," Justice Hilliard said. AP
Irish Independent
13-05-2025
- Irish Independent
‘A serious risk to British national security' – Russian spy-ring leader jailed for 11 years
Today at 21:30 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.
