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NDTV
13-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Russian Spy Ring Busted In UK: 6 Convicted Spies Jailed For 50 Years
Six Bulgarian nationals have been sentenced to a total of 50 years in prison for their involvement in a large-scale Russian espionage operation on UK soil, according to The Metro. The group, known as "The Minions", worked for Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU, and used movie-inspired code names, with the leader going by "Jackie Chan" and his deputy using "Mad Max" or "Jean-Claude Van Damme". According to The Metro, the operation, described as one of the largest and most complex ever uncovered in the UK, targeted journalists, including Bellingcat's Christo Grozev, and a Kazakh former politician. The spies plotted to kidnap and use "honeytraps" to gather information, tracking their targets across several European countries, including Austria, Spain, Germany, and Montenegro. The group's activities were orchestrated by alleged Russian agent Jan Marsalek, who directed the operation from abroad. Police discovered over 100,000 messages on the leader's Telegram account, which helped them uncover the operation and track down the individuals involved. Commander Dominic Murphy, Head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: 'The strength of the investigation into the group's surveillance operations left the ringleaders – Orlin Roussev and Bizer Dzhambazov – with no option but to plead guilty to the charges they faced. 'As shown in footage from his initial interviews, Roussev firmly denied carrying out any espionage activity for Russia. However, before he was due to stand trial, he admitted that he had been part of the conspiracy to spy." 'This was in large part due to the detailed analysis of more than 200,000 digital messages and hundreds of items seized from Roussev's home address." '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."
NZ Herald
13-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Bulgarian beautician in UK spy ring linked to Russia jailed
He had admitted his role with Dzhambazov, 44, the second-in-command who was jailed for 10 years and two months and Ivan Stoyanov, 33, who was handed five years and three weeks in prison. 'Honeytrap' agents Gaberova, Katrin Ivanova, 33, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, a 39-year-old competitive swimmer, were found guilty at the Old Bailey in March of activities that police have said put lives and national security at risk. 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. Ivanchev, of Acton, west London, was sentenced to eight years in prison. 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. Anthony Metzer KC said Gaberova's 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, 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 were 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', Justice Hilliard added. 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 guest house in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. When police moved to arrest the spies in February 2023, they found Dzhambazov naked 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 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 across 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. 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.' Justice Hilliard made a confiscation order for Roussev to pay £180,768 ($404,741) 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.' On Monday Dan Jarvis, the security minister, called the jailing of the spies 'a clear warning' to anyone seeking to threaten the UK. '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,' he said. '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.'
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Six Bulgarians face long UK jail terms for spying for Russia
Six Bulgarians, members of a sophisticated spy network dubbed "The Minions", were before court Wednesday for sentencing, facing up to 14 years in prison for spying for Russia. The four men and two women either pled guilty or had been convicted of charges of conspiracy to spy at Russia's behest with their sentences due to be handed down on Monday, after four days of hearings at London's Old Bailey court. Between 2020 to 2023, the six-person cell targeted journalists and a Kazakh former politician, and plotted to kidnap and honeytrap targets, tracking them across several European nations. It was "industrial-scale espionage on behalf of Russia", Metropolitan police counter-terrorism Chief Commander Dominic Murphy said in March. Ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, along with his second-in-command Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, and Ivan Stoyanov, 32, pled guilty to spying. Barrister for the prosecution, Alison Morgan, on Wednesday laid out their roles in different operations, stressing they knew they were spying for Moscow. London-based Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, were convicted in March after a trial lasting more than three months at the Old Bailey court. - Working for GRU - Two of the group were in court on Wednesday, with the rest appearing by video link from their detention centres. They had dubbed themselves "The Minions" after the cartoon yellow characters in the film "Despicable Me" who work for the dastardly Gru. The six also worked for the GRU, the acronym for the Russian military intelligence service. The group launched operations in the UK as well as Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro. But UK police were able to retrace six operations thanks to more than 100,000 messages found on Roussev's Telegram account, which led police to his seaside home in the eastern town of Great Yarmouth. Roussev received his instructions from Jan Marsalek, an Austrian fugitive who reportedly fled to Russia in 2020 after becoming wanted for fraud in Germany. Marsalek, the former chief operating officer of payments firm Wirecard, was acting as a proxy for Russian intelligence services. One operation targeted investigative journalist Christo Grozev, from the Bellingcat website, who uncovered Russian links to the 2018 Novichok chemical weapon attack in the English town of Salisbury and the downing of a Malaysia Airlines aeroplane four years earlier. The group had planned "disruptive activity" at the Kazakh embassy in 2022, discussing a plan to spray the building with fake pig's blood. - Like a 'spy novel' - Roussev received more than 200,000 euros ($227,000) to fund his activities. After the gang was busted in February 2023, police found huge amounts of spyware equipment in his home, including cameras and microphones hidden in ties, a stone, even a cuddly toy and a fizzy drinks bottle. In messages to Marsalek, Roussev claimed "he will find the resources" to "keep the Russians happy" such as by kidnapping someone, Morgan said. "The defendants were deployed to gather information about prominent individuals whose activities were of obvious interest to the Russian state," she added. Murphy said in March that police had found "really sophisticated devices -- the sort of thing you would really expect to see in a spy novel". Journalist and UK-based dissident Roman Dobrokhotov, and former Kazakh politician Bergey Ryskaliev, granted refugee status in Britain, were also among their targets. The group also kept the US military base Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, under surveillance, believing Ukrainian soldiers were being trained there in using the Patriot air defence system. Ties between Britain and Russia have been strained since Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. British security minister Dan Jarvis warned the convictions should "send a clear warning to those who wish to do the UK harm". mhc/jkb/lcm/giv
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Time of India
Six Bulgarians face long UK jail terms for spying for Russia
Six Bulgarians, members of a sophisticated spy network dubbed "The Minions", were before court Wednesday for sentencing, facing up to 14 years in prison for spying for . The four men and two women either pled guilty or had been convicted of charges of conspiracy to spy at Russia's behest with their sentences due to be handed down on Monday, after four days of hearings at London's Old Bailey court. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Between 2020 to 2023, the six-person cell targeted journalists and a Kazakh former politician, and plotted to kidnap and honeytrap targets, tracking them across several European nations. It was " on behalf of Russia", Metropolitan police counter-terrorism Chief Commander Dominic Murphy said in March. Ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, along with his second-in-command Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, and Ivan Stoyanov, 32, pled guilty to spying. Barrister for the prosecution, Alison Morgan, on Wednesday laid out their roles in different operations, stressing they knew they were spying for Moscow. London-based Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, were convicted in March after a trial lasting more than three months at the Old Bailey court. Working for GRU: Two of the group were in court on Wednesday, with the rest appearing by video link from their detention centres. They had dubbed themselves "The Minions" after the cartoon yellow characters in the film "Despicable Me" who work for the dastardly Gru. The six also worked for the GRU, the acronym for the Russian military intelligence service. The group launched operations in the UK as well as Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro. But UK police were able to retrace six operations thanks to more than 100,000 messages found on Roussev's Telegram account, which led police to his seaside home in the eastern town of Great Yarmouth. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Roussev received his instructions from Jan Marsalek, an Austrian fugitive who reportedly fled to Russia in 2020 after becoming wanted for fraud in Germany. Marsalek, the former chief operating officer of payments firm Wirecard, was acting as a proxy for Russian intelligence services. One operation targeted investigative journalist Christo Grozev, from the Bellingcat website, who uncovered Russian links to the 2018 Novichok chemical weapon attack in the English town of Salisbury and the downing of a Malaysia Airlines aeroplane four years earlier. The group had planned "disruptive activity" at the Kazakh embassy in 2022, discussing a plan to spray the building with fake pig's blood. Like a 'spy novel': Roussev received more than 200,000 euros ($227,000) to fund his activities. After the gang was busted in February 2023, police found huge amounts of spyware equipment in his home, including cameras and microphones hidden in ties, a stone, even a cuddly toy and a fizzy drinks bottle. In messages to Marsalek, Roussev claimed "he will find the resources" to "keep the Russians happy" such as by kidnapping someone, Morgan said. "The defendants were deployed to gather information about prominent individuals whose activities were of obvious interest to the Russian state," she added. Murphy said in March that police had found "really sophisticated devices -- the sort of thing you would really expect to see in a spy novel". Journalist and UK-based dissident Roman Dobrokhotov, and former Kazakh politician Bergey Ryskaliev, granted refugee status in Britain, were also among their targets. The group also kept the US military base Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, under surveillance, believing Ukrainian soldiers were being trained there in using the Patriot air defence system. Ties between Britain and Russia have been strained since Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. British security minister Dan Jarvis warned the convictions should "send a clear warning to those who wish to do the UK harm".
France 24
07-05-2025
- France 24
Six Bulgarians face long UK jail terms for spying for Russia
The four men and two women either pled guilty or had been convicted of charges of conspiracy to spy at Russia's behest with their sentences due to be handed down on Monday, after four days of hearings at London's Old Bailey court. Between 2020 to 2023, the six-person cell targeted journalists and a Kazakh former politician, and plotted to kidnap and honeytrap targets, tracking them across several European nations. It was "industrial-scale espionage on behalf of Russia", Metropolitan police counter-terrorism Chief Commander Dominic Murphy said in March. Ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, along with his second-in-command Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, and Ivan Stoyanov, 32, pled guilty to spying. Barrister for the prosecution, Alison Morgan, on Wednesday laid out their roles in different operations, stressing they knew they were spying for Moscow. London-based Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, were convicted in March after a trial lasting more than three months at the Old Bailey court. Working for GRU Two of the group were in court on Wednesday, with the rest appearing by video link from their detention centres. They had dubbed themselves "The Minions" after the cartoon yellow characters in the film "Despicable Me" who work for the dastardly Gru. The six also worked for the GRU, the acronym for the Russian military intelligence service. The group launched operations in the UK as well as Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro. But UK police were able to retrace six operations thanks to more than 100,000 messages found on Roussev's Telegram account, which led police to his seaside home in the eastern town of Great Yarmouth. Roussev received his instructions from Jan Marsalek, an Austrian fugitive who reportedly fled to Russia in 2020 after becoming wanted for fraud in Germany. Marsalek, the former chief operating officer of payments firm Wirecard, was acting as a proxy for Russian intelligence services. One operation targeted investigative journalist Christo Grozev, from the Bellingcat website, who uncovered Russian links to the 2018 Novichok chemical weapon attack in the English town of Salisbury and the downing of a Malaysia Airlines aeroplane four years earlier. The group had planned "disruptive activity" at the Kazakh embassy in 2022, discussing a plan to spray the building with fake pig's blood. Like a 'spy novel' Roussev received more than 200,000 euros ($227,000) to fund his activities. After the gang was busted in February 2023, police found huge amounts of spyware equipment in his home, including cameras and microphones hidden in ties, a stone, even a cuddly toy and a fizzy drinks bottle. In messages to Marsalek, Roussev claimed "he will find the resources" to "keep the Russians happy" such as by kidnapping someone, Morgan said. "The defendants were deployed to gather information about prominent individuals whose activities were of obvious interest to the Russian state," she added. Murphy said in March that police had found "really sophisticated devices -- the sort of thing you would really expect to see in a spy novel". Journalist and UK-based dissident Roman Dobrokhotov, and former Kazakh politician Bergey Ryskaliev, granted refugee status in Britain, were also among their targets. The group also kept the US military base Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, under surveillance, believing Ukrainian soldiers were being trained there in using the Patriot air defence system. Ties between Britain and Russia have been strained since Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. British security minister Dan Jarvis warned the convictions should "send a clear warning to those who wish to do the UK harm".
