March 8, 2025 – Seoul, South Korea
By Ussnapnews
A London jury has delivered a guilty verdict against three Bulgarian nationals residing in the UK, convicting them of conducting large-scale espionage operations for Russia. The individuals were found to have endangered lives by surveilling Kremlin critics, including journalists, diplomats, and Ukrainian soldiers, across multiple European nations.
On Friday, the Old Bailey court found Katrin Ivanova, 43, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, guilty of operating as part of a Russian spy network. The group, dubbed “the Minions” by one of their leaders—a nod to the animated yellow henchmen from *Despicable Me*—carried out sophisticated intelligence-gathering missions over a three-year period under the direction of the Russian GRU intelligence service. They now face potential prison sentences of up to 14 years, with sentencing scheduled for May, alongside three other members of the same spy cell who had previously pleaded guilty.
The ringleader, Orlin Roussev, 47, along with his deputy Biser Dzhambazov, 43, and accomplice Ivan Stoyanov, admitted their involvement in the espionage scheme before the trial commenced. Roussev reportedly received over 200,000 euros ($217,000) to finance the operations. The mastermind behind the ring, Austrian businessman Jan Marsalek, 44, who is wanted by Interpol following the collapse of German payment firm Wirecard, is believed to be in Russia. Marsalek served as the intermediary between Russian intelligence and the Bulgarian operatives, orchestrating six major missions across the UK, Austria, Spain, Germany, and Montenegro until the group’s arrest in 2023.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of London’s Counter Terrorism Command, described the operation as “spying on an almost industrial scale” on behalf of the Russian state.
#### Spying on Ukrainian Troops and Journalists
British prosecutors revealed that Marsalek directed the Bulgarian team to monitor Ukrainian soldiers undergoing training at a US military base in Germany. The objective was to track their movements on the battlefield following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Another target was Christo Grozev, a Bellingcat journalist who spearheaded the investigation into the 2018 poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England, with plans that may have included his abduction or assassination.
The spy ring also focused on Russian dissident Roman Dobrokhotov, editor-in-chief of *The Insider*, former Kazakh politician Bergey Ryskaliyev, who has asylum in the UK, and Russian dissident Kiril Kachur. In a bizarre plot, the group considered using a drone to drop fake pigs’ blood on the Kazakhstan Embassy in London as a staged protest to curry favor with Kazakh intelligence.
#### High-Tech Spy Gear Unearthed
A police raid on Roussev’s operational base—a converted guesthouse in the coastal town of Great Yarmouth, dubbed his “Indiana Jones garage”—uncovered an array of advanced spyware. Hidden within everyday items such as a rock, men’s ties, a Coke bottle, and a Minions stuffed toy, the devices were described by Murphy as “really sophisticated,” reminiscent of gadgets from a spy novel.
#### A Tangled Love Triangle
The personal lives of the defendants added a layer of complexity to the case. Dzhambazov, who worked as a medical courier but claimed to be an Interpol officer, was romantically involved with both Ivanova, his laboratory assistant, and Gaberova, a beautician. Gaberova had left Ivanchev, a painter-decorator, for Dzhambazov, who treated her to Michelin-starred dining and luxury hotel stays. During a police raid in February 2023, Dzhambazov was found with Gaberova, not Ivanova. Both women testified that they had been deceived and manipulated by Dzhambazov.
Mr Justice Hilliard KC ordered the defendants to remain in custody pending sentencing, set for May 7 to May 12. The convictions highlight the ongoing threat of foreign espionage networks operating within European borders.
