Putin’s spies in Parliament: Three Bulgarians convicted of spying for Russia are pictured sitting alongside politicians at Brexit event in Westminster

The spy handler, Jan Marsalek, 44

A fugitive businessman hiding out in Moscow, Jan Marsalek directed operations via 80,000 Telegram messages he exchanged with Orlin Roussev.

One of Interpol’s most wanted men, the 44-year-old former executive at German tech firm Wirecard has been on the run since the company collapsed in 2020 amid an alleged £1.6bn fraud.

The grandson of a Soviet spy, Marsalek is thought to have first been brought into Russian intelligence by former GRU officer Stanislav Petlinsky after the pair met on a yacht at his girlfriend’s birthday party in Nice, France, in 2014.

He is understood to have received instructions directly from Russian intelligence at the heart of the Kremlin.

Fugitive businessman Jan Marsalek (pictured in his passport photo) was the financer of the operations 

‘Q Branch’, Orlin Roussev, 46 

Orlin Roussev, 46, ran operations from a guesthouse in Great Yarmouth bought for £220,000 in 2021.

He referred to himself as ‘Q Branch’ because of his skills building spy gadgets, and thousands of pieces of sophisticated equipment, as well as forged identity documents, were found at his home.

Among them were homemade devices including a camera hidden in a rock, a Coca-Cola bottle containing another concealed camera and a £120,000 IMSI grabber which can intercept mobile phone information.

Roussev received orders directly from Marsalek along with hundreds of thousands of pounds to finance operations.

He had a telecommunications background and moved to Britain in 2009.

Orlin Roussev, 46, (pictured) ran operations from a guesthouse in Great Yarmouth bought for £220,000 in 2021

The adulterous middle-manager, Biser Dzhambazov, 43 

Biser Dzhambazov was in charge of recruiting and directing the spies on the ground, receiving orders directly from Roussev.

The 43-year-old moved to the UK with his long-term girlfriend Katrin Ivanova, 33, but began an affair with Vanya Gaberova after recruiting her to the spy ring in 2021.

To explain his long absences to his mistress, he told her he had cancer and sent her photos of himself with ‘bandages’ made of toilet paper wrapped round his head.

When police carried out a series of raids to round up the spies in February 2023 they found Dzhambazov and Gaberova naked in bed together.

Bulgarian national Dzhambazov, 43, (pictured) previously admitted to spying in the UK on behalf of Russia

Scorned girlfriend / chief minion, Ivanova, 33

Katrin Ivanova was Dzhambazov’s long-term partner, having first started dating in Bulgaria when she was 17 and he was 27.

She was referred to by Roussev and Marsalek as ‘chief minion’ and one half of the ‘brunette twins’ with Gaberova.

Ivanova stalked journalist Christo Grozev and Russian dissident Roman Dobrokhotov on international flights, covertly filming them after the spies successfully accessed booking systems to place her near the targets.

She learned of Dzhambazov’s affair with Gaberova from a police statement after she was arrested.

Katrin Ivanova was Dzhambazov’s long-term partner, having first started dating in Bulgaria when she was 17 and he was 27

 The Muscle, Ivan Stoyanov, 33 

Ivan Stoyanov is a mixed martial arts fanatic from Greenford, west London, nicknamed ‘The Rock.

He met Dzhambazov and Ivanova through working at the same laboratory.

The ‘muscle’ of the operation, Roussev described Stoyanov, who grew up in a tower block in Bulgaria’s capital, as someone who ‘completed the police academy in Sofia and is former European MMA [mixed martial arts] champion.’

A video of Stoyanov’s bruising 2015 heavyweight knockout victory over a fighter named Josh Roosevelt Jones remains on YouTube.

Ivan Stoyanov (pictured) was a mixed martial arts fanatic from Greenford, west London, nicknamed ‘The Rock

Queen of the Lashes, Vanya Gaberova, 30 

Vanya Gaberova ran a beauty parlour in Acton, west London, opened through a loan taken out by ex-boyfriend Tihomir Ivanchev.

The multi-award winning beautician, known as ‘Queen of the Lashes,’ was brought into the spy ring after meeting Dzhambazov at a Bulgarian polling station in London in 2021.

She recruited Ivanchev before leaving him to have an illicit affair with Dzhambazov.

Described as a ‘true sexy bitch’ by her spy bosses, Gaberova was intended to carry out ‘honeytrap’ plots and was ordered to send a Facebook request to journalist Christo Grozev before attempting to seduce him.

Vanya Gaberova (pictured in her custody photo) ran a beauty parlour in Acton, west London, opened through a loan taken out by ex-boyfriend Tihomir Ivanchev

The swimmer, Tihomir Ivanchev, 39

Recruited into the ring by his then-girlfriend Vanya Gaberova, Tihomir Ivanchev had been a promising open water swimmer in his native Bulgaria before abandoning the sport and moving to London in 2012. 

A painter and decorator who worked seven days a week, Ivanchev said he was told the foreign spying trips would be ‘more like paid holidays,’ and went to visit the zoo in Vienna when he was tasked with following journalist Christo Grozev. 

Ivanchev was the last to be arrested and was very cooperative with police. His barrister told his trial that during questioning he ‘sung like Justin Bieber, like a canary.’

Tihomir Ivanchev (pictured) was the last to be arrested and was very cooperative with police

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk