Five Bulgarian nationals are set to be charged in the UK with conspiracy to conduct espionage for Russia.
Orlin Roussev, Bizer Dzhambazov, Katrin Ivanova, Ivan Stoyanov, and Vanya Gaberova will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, facing allegations of conspiring to gather information beneficial to an adversary between August 2020 and February 2023.
This development follows an extensive investigation by the Metropolitan Police.
The accused individuals are believed to have operated within an active spy cell on behalf of Russian security services, with their tasks encompassing surveillance activities on various targets. It is alleged that they were engaged in active operations across the UK and Europe, collecting and transmitting information to the Russian state.
Orlin Roussev, aged 45, is alleged to have coordinated operations from the UK and served as the liaison to recipients of the gathered intelligence.
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Searches conducted by law enforcement officers at properties occupied by three of the defendants in London and Norfolk revealed purportedly counterfeit passports and official identity documents spanning multiple countries, including the UK, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and the Czech Republic.
Some of these documents featured photographs of Mr. Roussev and Mr. Dzhambazov, with Mr. Roussev purportedly involved in forging documents himself.
The group also stands accused of orchestrating a surveillance mission in Montenegro, which involved the production of fraudulent identification cards for journalists, including one bearing the likeness of Ms. Ivanova.
Mr. Roussev, Mr. Dzhambazov, and Ms. Ivanova have resided in the UK for several years, engaging in various occupations and living in suburban residences.
Mr. Roussev has a background in business dealings in Russia, having relocated to the UK in 2009 and subsequently working in a technical capacity in financial services.
His LinkedIn profile indicates that he later owned a business specializing in signals intelligence, which entails the interception of communications or electronic signals.
Mr. Roussev’s most recent address is reported as a seaside guesthouse in Great Yarmouth, and he notes that he once served as an adviser to the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy.
In Harrow, former neighbors described Mr. Dzhambazov and Ms. Ivanova as a couple. Mr. Dzhambazov worked as a hospital driver, while Ms. Ivanova, per her LinkedIn profile, served as a laboratory assistant for a private health business.
The couple, who moved to the UK around a decade ago, also operated a community organization aimed at assisting Bulgarian individuals in acclimating to British society, familiarizing them with its culture and norms.
Ms. Gaberova, aged 29, was a successful beautician running a business named “Pretty Woman” and served as a judge at eyelash competitions.
The charges against these individuals mark another chapter in the ongoing tensions between Russia and Western nations over alleged espionage activities.
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