LONDON DAILY ARCHIVE
Three Bulgarians Convicted of Espionage for Russia in the UK
The defendants were part of a spy ring directed by fugitive businessman Jan Marsalek, involved in extensive surveillance activities.
08 March 2025 · 06:16 UTC
The convictions were handed down following a trial at the Old Bailey that lasted three months, with the jury finding Katrin Ivanova, Vanya Gaberova, and Tihomir Ivanchev guilty of espionage charges.
The surveillance activities conducted by this group spanned from August 2020 to February 2023 and were notably focused on journalists, including Bulgarian investigative reporter Christo Grozev, who has reported on various espionage cases, including the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal.
The network also targeted Ukrainian soldiers undergoing training at a U.S. military facility in Germany, with aims to track them upon their return to Ukraine.
Jan Marsalek, who orchestrated the spy ring, is particularly notorious following his role in the collapse of the German payments company Wirecard, which was embroiled in a multibillion-euro fraud scandal.
After the company's downfall, Marsalek vanished and is believed to be residing in Russia.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police’s counterterrorism unit, described the operation as exceptionally sophisticated, revealing that high-tech surveillance devices, reminiscent of those depicted in espionage novels, were discovered in locations such as Great Yarmouth and London.
Amid the trial, the three defendants maintained their innocence, asserting that they were unaware they were aiding the Russian government.
Additionally, Ivanova received a conviction for possession of counterfeit passports.
Previously, three other individuals associated with the spy ring—Orlin Roussev, Bizer Dzhambazov, and Ivan Stoyanov—pleaded guilty to similar charges.
Sentencing for all six individuals involved is scheduled for May.