Six Bulgarians jailed for Russian spy ring in UK

Six Bulgarian nationals who were convicted of spying on behalf of Russia in the United Kingdom were on Monday, May 12, 2025, sentenced to prison at the Old Bailey.

The group’s leader, 47-year-old Orlin Roussev, who had entered a guilty plea, received a sentence of 10 years and eight months for orchestrating six “sophisticated” spy operations.

These operations reportedly endangered both national security and public safety.

His deputy, 44-year-old Biser Dzhambazov, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years and two months for his involvement in directing the group’s covert activities.

Among those sentenced was 33-year-old Katrin Ivanova, one of two women in the group who acted as “honeytraps” targeting individuals of interest.

She was sentenced to nine years and eight months.

Judge Mr Justice Hilliard acknowledged that Ivanova likely would not have been drawn into espionage if she hadn’t met Dzhambazov.

However, he made clear that she had willingly committed to the relationship and its criminal consequences, remarking she had joined “by free choice for better or worse.”

The second woman, 30-year-old Vanya Gaberova, received a prison term of six years, eight months, and three weeks.

While the court considered her claustrophobia diagnosis, the judge emphasized that she had knowingly participated in espionage for Russia and appeared to find the lifestyle “exciting and glamorous.”

One of the group’s two lieutenants, 39-year-old Tihomir Ivanchev, was sentenced to eight years.

The judge acknowledged reports of good behavior and the fact that Ivanchev’s involvement had ended prior to the group’s 2023 arrests.

The other lieutenant, 33-year-old Ivan Stoyanov, who admitted guilt later in the legal process, was given a sentence of five years and three weeks.

Judge Hilliard told all six defendants that they must serve at least half of their sentences before being eligible for parole. Following their release, each would face automatic deportation to Bulgaria.

During sentencing, the judge reviewed six confirmed espionage operations carried out by the defendants.

He noted that some participants bore more responsibility than others but emphasized that the entire group was driven primarily by financial gain.

Dzhambazov had played a central role in coordinating the group’s work, with discussions reportedly involving payments as high as €1 million (around £842,000).

According to the judge, this demonstrated the significance and value of their activities to Russian intelligence.

While some of the funds would have covered operational expenses, much of it allowed the group to live in considerable comfort.

From 2020 to 2023, the spy ring conducted surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations targeting Russian dissidents and journalists.

Operating primarily out of a guesthouse in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, their activities were directed from abroad by Austrian businessman Jan Marsalek.

Marsalek fled to Russia in 2020 after his company, Wirecard, collapsed in a €1.9 billion (£1.6 billion) fraud scandal.

He is now believed to be residing in Moscow and is wanted in Germany.

Marsalek, working on behalf of both the Russian FSB security agency and the GRU military intelligence service, oversaw the group’s surveillance operations in Bulgaria, Austria, and Spain.

One of the key targets was investigative journalist Christo Grozev, who had played a major role in uncovering the identities of Russian agents involved in the poisoning of opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

Marsalek also tasked Ivanova and others with acquiring mobile phone numbers belonging to Ukrainian soldiers reportedly undergoing training at a U.S. military base in Stuttgart, Germany.

The operation involved the use of sophisticated, military-grade surveillance equipment.

During the sentencing, broadcast on television, Judge Hilliard praised the investigating officers for their “extremely thorough and determined investigative work.”

He noted that the individuals targeted by the spy ring had been left “deeply concerned” and had to upgrade their personal security.

Roussev, he said, would have been fully aware of the potential for Russia to resort to “extreme actions” against perceived enemies.

Commander Dominic Murphy, said that the overwhelming evidence gathered against the group left ringleaders Roussev and Dzhambazov with no alternative but to plead guilty.

Murphy leads the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command.

He added that the case reflects a growing volume of state-sponsored threat investigations in the UK and highlighted a recent trend of “outsourced” espionage operations.

Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, stated that by targeting journalists and individuals fleeing persecution, the group compromised the UK’s reputation as a place of refuge.

He concluded that their prolonged activity clearly endangered national security and that all six spies knew precisely who they were working for.

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