Three Bulgarians residing in the United Kingdom have been convicted for their involvement in a Russian espionage operation, which was orchestrated by Jan Marsalek, a fugitive linked to the Wirecard scandal. The convictions were handed down following a detailed three-month trial at the Old Bailey.
Katrin Ivanova, Vanya Gaberova, and Tihomir Ivanchev were found guilty of espionage, marking them as junior operatives in a six-member spy network that was active from August 2020 to February 2023. The trial unveiled the group’s extensive surveillance activities, particularly targeting journalists and Ukrainian soldiers.
Spy network’s operations and objectives
The investigation revealed that the spy ring was directed by Marsalek, an Austrian businessman wanted internationally for his role in the collapse of the German payments company Wirecard. He is believed to have fled to Russia five years ago amidst allegations of fraud involving billions of euros.
Prosecutors presented evidence that the group had been monitoring high-profile individuals, including Bulgarian investigative journalist Christo Grozev, who had reported on the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. The operatives were also found to be tracking Ukrainian soldiers who were undergoing training at a U.S. military base in Germany, with intentions of locating them upon their return to Ukraine.
“I have never seen anything like this in my more than 20 years in counterterrorism. It was an extremely sophisticated operation,”
stated Commander Dominic Murphy, the Metropolitan Police’s counterterrorism chief, emphasizing the complexity of the operation. He further remarked on the advanced surveillance equipment discovered during the investigation, stating, “Really sophisticated devices — the sort of thing you would really expect to see in a spy novel — were found here, in Great Yarmouth and London.”
Legal proceedings and implications
Throughout the trial, the three defendants maintained their innocence, claiming they were unaware of their contributions to Russian intelligence activities. Additionally, Ivanova faced charges of possessing counterfeit passports.
Three other associates of the spy ring, Orlin Roussev, Bizer Dzhambazov, and Ivan Stoyanov, had previously admitted their guilt in relation to the espionage charges. Following these convictions, all six members of the network are set to be sentenced in May, highlighting the serious implications of their actions in the context of national and international security.