Bulgarian secret agent ring ‘chief minion’ used to be global clear of a vintage secret agent, Old Bailey advised

A girl mentioned to be “chief minion” in a hoop of Bulgarians convicted of spying for Russia in Britain must no longer be handled like George Blake, the double agent sentenced to 4 a long time in prison within the 1960s, the Old Bailey has heard.

Katrin Ivanova used to be mentioned by way of her barrister, Rupert Bowers KC, to were manipulated by way of her spouse, Biser Dzhambazov, and to then have continued the invention of his affair with a fellow member of the secret agent ring whilst in jail.

“She is not the chief minion,” Bowers advised the courtroom, in connection with a declare by way of the prosecution. “There was no initiative on her part, she did as she was directed.”

Addressing Mr Justice Hilliard at a sentencing listening to for six Bulgarians discovered to blame in March of espionage fees, Bowers advised the pass judgement on his shopper used to be inquisitive about one thing that used to be “a world away from the classic spy case”.

Bowers mentioned the pass judgement on must differentiate in his sentencing from the “the classic spy cases, the George Blakes” and that of Ivanova, who he claimed have been in large part liable for administrative tasks, equivalent to reserving accommodations and flights.

Blake, who died in 2020 on the age of 98, used to be probably the most infamous Soviet agent within Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). He used to be sentenced to serve 42 years in jail in 1961 however in 1966 escaped from Wormwood Scrubs jail in west London.

After fleeing to Moscow, Blake used to be awarded the Order of Lenin. In 2007, on his 85th birthday, he used to be awarded the Order of Friendship by way of Vladimir Putin.

Ivanova is going through as much as 14 years in prison for her function in a secret agent ring tasked by way of Moscow with sporting out a sequence of operations, together with stealing figuring out main points of the telephones utilized by Ukrainian infantrymen coaching on Patriot air defence methods on the Patch barracks in Stuttgart.

During the trial of the 3 participants of the hoop who didn’t plead to blame, the prosecution highlighted a message despatched by way of Orlin Roussev, the chief of the secret agent ring, to Jan Marsalek, a Russian agent believed to be primarily based in Moscow.

In the message, Roussev had mentioned he sought after to ship to Stuttgart “the minion who will operate the IMSI”, an advanced instrument ready to mop up hundreds of within sight telephone numbers.

The prosecutor mentioned Ivanova used to be the “chief minion” being referred to. She claims to have no longer been educated to make use of an IMSI catcher, and even heard of it till after her arrest in February 2023.

Her barrister mentioned that the pass judgement on must take a look at the results of Ivanova’s paintings slightly than the “fantastical” messages came upon by way of the police. He claimed that the paintings performed by way of the hoop had confirmed to be “ostensibly useless to the hostile state”.

In additional mitigation, Bowers mentioned Ivanova needed to undergo the “lies and the betrayal” of Dzhambazov, her long-term spouse.

Dzhambazov used to be in a courting with each Ivanova and Vanya Gaberova for a 12 months and a part prior to their arrest.

When police raided Gaberova’s flat they discovered Dzhambazov in mattress together with her. Ivanova have been blind to the connection till after her arrest. He had additionally advised the 2 ladies he had mind most cancers, which he didn’t.