3 Bulgarians found guilty in major Russian espionage case in UK

ISTANBUL

Three Bulgarian nationals have been convicted by a London jury for espionage on behalf of Russia, marking one of the UK's largest foreign intelligence operations in recent years, according to media reports Friday.

Katrin Ivanova, 43, Vanya Gaberova, 30 and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, were found guilty of conspiracy to spy at London's Old Bailey, The Guardian newspaper reported.

The trio, who lived in London, were part of a spy ring that operated across Europe from 2020 to 2023, targeting Ukrainian soldiers, journalists and dissidents. They carried out surveillance on Kremlin opponents, including Bellingcat journalist Christo Grozev, and planned attacks on individuals such as former Russian politician Bergey Ryskaliyev.

"This was spying on an almost industrial scale on behalf of Russia, the Russian state and Russian intelligence services," said Commander Dominic Murphy of London's Counter Terrorism Command, BBC noted.

The operation, led by Orlin Roussev, 47, who ran the spy ring from a guesthouse in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, involved sophisticated methods, including hidden cameras in everyday objects like ties and Minions toys. Roussev received more than €200,000 ($217,000) to fund the spying activities.

The spy ring, which included six Bulgarians, was directed by Jan Marsalek, an alleged Russian agent wanted by Interpol. Marsalek’s role as a liaison between Russian intelligence and the spy ring led to surveillance operations in the UK, Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro.

The trio faces up to 14 years in prison, with sentencing set for May.

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC described the operation as "extremely sophisticated," while Murphy warned it posed a serious national security threat.