Six Bulgarians jailed for spying for Russia

Six Bulgarians had been jailed for spying at the enemies of Russia’s Vladimir Putin in the United Kingdom and past.

During a long trial, the Old Bailey heard the hoop used to be paid handsomely for his or her products and services, together with spying on two reporters who had uncovered nerve agent assaults at the Russian dissidents Alexei Navalny and Sergei Skripal.

On Monday, the ringleader Orlin Roussev used to be jailed for 10 years and 8 months for the fee of conspiracy to secret agent. His second-in-command, Biser Dzhambazov, used to be sentenced to 10 years and two months.

Katrin Ivanova, Dzhambazov’s spouse, used to be jailed for 9 years and 8 months through Judge Justice Hilliard. Three others have been jailed for between 8 and 6 years.

Their names are Tihomir Ivanchev, Ivan Stoyanov and Vanya Gaberova.

The trial heard that the crowd had performed operations in the United Kingdom, Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro.

They focused investigative reporters Christo Grozev and Roman Dobrokhotov, in addition to Russian dissidents and political figures.

The case towards them, which has been described as “one of the largest” international intelligence operations in the United Kingdom, occupied with six in their assignments.

For the primary time in a UK felony courtroom, the interior workings of a Russian operational secret agent mobile have been uncovered in hundreds of messages setting up surveillance, footage and movies in their objectives, and communicate of plans to kidnap and kill.

Evidence positioned sooner than the courtroom this week published new information about Jan Marsalek, the hoop’s controller for Russian intelligence products and services.

Marsalek, an Austrian, is lately at the run and is sought after in Germany for alleged fraud connected to the monetary products and services corporate Wirecard.

The secret agent ring referred to themselves because the “minions”, impressed through the yellow sidekicks of the villain Gru within the Despicable Me youngsters’s movie franchise.

The crew additionally steadily referred to the Russian GRU company – its army intelligence carrier – in Telegram messages.

Police raided the Norfolk guesthouse housing the operation in 2023 and located a “treasure trove” of units, together with a Minion cuddly toy containing a digicam.

Ivanova, Gaberova and Ivanchev have been convicted of conspiracy to secret agent for Russia on 7 March. Roussev, Dzhambazov and Stoyanov had in the past pleaded in charge.

In sentencing, Mr Justice Hilliard singled out Dzhambazov because the boss however mentioned all have been “motivated by money” – “substantial” sums of as much as €1m (£840,000) have been mentioned through the crowd, demonstrating the “value” in their covert actions to Russia.

Mr Justice Hilliard mentioned the usage of the United Kingdom as a base to devise secret agent operations used to be a “very serious offence” which “undermines this country’s standing with allies”.

“Targeting journalists… undermines freedom of the press, one of our core democratic values,” he added.

Roussev used to be ordered to pay a confiscation order of £180,768 in ill-gotten features through August 2025.

Gaberova’s sentenced used to be diminished to 6 years, 8 months and 3 weeks following mitigation.

Her defence barrister Anthony Metzer KC mentioned Gaberova, 30, used to be “controlled, coerced into this conspiracy by Mr Dzhambazov,” who used to be her lover whilst additionally being concerned with Ivanova.

The courtroom used to be informed Gaberova were recognized with melancholy, panic dysfunction, claustrophobia and anxiousness.

Conspiracy to secret agent carries a most sentence of 14 years, however Roussev, Dzhambazov and Stoyanov have been afforded some credit score for his or her in charge pleas.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, mentioned the case used to be “a clear example” of the expanding risk of state espionage.

He added that it additionally “highlights a relatively new phenomenon whereby espionage is being ‘outsourced’ by certain states”.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis mentioned: “These substantial sentences should send a clear warning to anyone seeking to threaten our security, harm the UK, and compromise the safety of the public.”