A UK-based spy ring passed secrets to Russia for nearly three years, endangering the national interest and putting ‘many lives at risk’, court hears

A ‘sophisticated’ spy ring passed secrets from Britain to Russia for nearly three years, a court heard yesterday.

UK-based Bulgarian nationals Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, allegedly carried out surveillance on individuals and places of interest to Russia.

They targeted journalists, dissidents and prominent individuals in London, Vienna in Austria, Valencia in Spain and Montenegro, as well as sites including an airbase in Stuttgart, Germany, prosecutors said.

The alleged spies had access to ‘law enforcement-grade’ surveillance equipment, drones, and dozens of fake passports and identity documents, the Old Bailey heard.

The two female defendants, who were also in ‘tangled’ relationships with two of the male alleged spies, were intended to be deployed in honey-trap operations ‘as sexual bait to capture more information’, a jury was told. And members of the alleged spy ring were paid ‘significant’ sums of money for their work, Alison Morgan KC, prosecuting, said.

‘This case is about espionage activity,’ she told jurors.

‘Between 2020 and 2023 these three defendants together with a number of other people spied for the benefit of Russia. Over a period of nearly three years they sought to gather information for the benefit of Russia, an enemy of the UK, information about various targets, both people and physical locations. Information of particular interest to the Russian state.

‘Their activity caused obvious and inevitable prejudice to the safety and interests of the United Kingdom.’

The spy ring included two more defendants, Orlin Roussev, 46, who lived in the seaside town of Great Yarmouth, and Biser Dzhambazov, 43, who have already admitted espionage charges, the court was told.

Vanya Gaberova (pictured), 30, was part of spy ring which targeted journalists, dissidents and prominent individuals in London , Vienna in Austria, Valencia in Spain and Montenegro, as well as sites including an airbase in Stuttgart, Germany, prosecutors said

The spy ring included Biser Dzhambazov (pictured), 43, who has already admitted espionage charges, the court was told.

It is claimed that the defendants plotted with a Russian agent codenamed ‘Rupert Ticz’, who was actually Austrian national Jan Marsalek, to obtain information directly or indirectly useful to Russia.

The spies’ activities endangered Britain’s national interests and ‘put many lives at risk’, Ms Morgan told the court.

She said there were six spying operations which involved ‘high-level espionage with high levels of deceit’ and a great deal of risk to the participants. The first operation, said to have taken place between September and November 2021.

It targeted Bellingcat investigative journalist Christo Grozev, whose work includes uncovering Russian links to the 2018 Salisbury Novichok poisonings. The second plot, in November 2022, focused on UK-based Russian dissident Roman Dobrokhotov, founder of publisher The Insider. Former Kazakh politician Bergey Ryskaliyev, granted refugee status after fleeing to Britain, was also targeted, the court heard.

The fourth operation involved staging a fake demonstration outside the Kazakh embassy in September 2022 to create the impression the spies had genuine intelligence about troublemakers to curry favour with the Kazakhstan intelligence services, the court heard. The group targeted dissident Russian lawyer Kirill Kachur when he was in Montenegro between September 2021 and January the following year, jurors were told.

And they used ‘highly sophisticated technology’ to gather intelligence from Patch Barracks, a US military base in Stuttgart, Germany, which the group believed was being used to train Ukrainian soldiers.

The spy ring was allegedly run by Roussev, who lived in a guest house in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and was given instructions by Marsalek which he then delegated to the other members, the court heard.

Marsalek and Roussev discussed the possibility of kidnapping Mr Grozev and taking him to Moscow, jurors heard. Over Telegram, they also plotted to place a spy next to the journalist on a flight from Vienna to Valencia, as well as robbing him and even murdering him, Ms Morgan said.

 Orlin Roussev (pictured), 46, who lived in the seaside town of Great Yarmouth. Nearly 80,000 Telegram messages were recovered between Marsalek and Roussev, with the Austrian sending the Bulgarian payments via ‘secret routes,’ Alison Morgan KC said

Court artist sketches from left to right: Katrin Ivanova, Vanya Gaberova, Orlin Roussev, Ivan Stoyanov and Bizer Dzhambazov appearing via video link at Westminster Magistrates’ Court

Nearly 80,000 Telegram messages were recovered between Marsalek and Roussev, with the Austrian sending the Bulgarian payments via ‘secret routes,’ Ms Morgan said.

Dzhambazov received 204,664 euros and passed on 43,478 to Ivanova, 28,405 to Gaberova, and 8,450 to Ivanchev, the court heard.When police raided Roussev’s home, they found it packed with technical equipment including 221 mobile phones, 258 hard drives, 495 SIM cards, 55 visual recording devices and 11 drones.

There were also trackers and hacking software, as well as 91 bank cards in the names of 17 individuals and 75 passports and identity documents in 55 individuals’ names.

At Ivanova’s home they allegedly found 18 false identity documents, including British, French, Italian, Greek, Czech, Slovenian, Croatian and Bulgarian passports, along with a Spanish residence permit and other identity cards, residence permits and driving licences.

‘None of the defendants could have been in no doubt that they were engaged in serious espionage activity,’ Ms Morgan said.

Dzhambazov was in a relationship with both Ivanova and Gaberova, with the latter formerly involved with Ivanchev, it was claimed. The defendants have denied a charge of conspiracy to spy. Ivanova has denied a second charge of possession of false identity documents with improper intention under section 4 of the Identity Documents Act 2010. The trial continues.