Russian proxy spy ring facing years behind bars for one of the ‘largest and most complex’ enemy operations uncovered in Britain
A Russian spy network embedded in the UK has been convicted of conducting espionage on an industrial scale, targeting Vladimir Putin’s enemies, journalists, and dissidents.
The group, led by 47-year-old Orlin Roussev, operated across London, Montenegro, Valencia, Vienna, and Stuttgart, gathering intelligence and engaging in covert surveillance. Some female members of the cell were even deployed as ‘honeytraps’ to extract sensitive information.
The spies reportedly had ambitions for a Novichok-style attack, drawing chilling comparisons to the 2018 Salisbury poisoning, the Old Bailey heard.
Roussev, along with Biser Dzhambazov, 43, and Ivan Stoyanov, 32, pleaded guilty before the trial began. Today, Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, his ex-girlfriend Vanya Gaberova, 30, and his new partner Katrin Ivanova, 33, were convicted by a jury for their involvement in the conspiracy.
They will be sentenced at a later date by Mr Justice Hilliard.
One of the most significant espionage cases since the cold war
The six were arrested in 2023, in what has been described as one of the most significant espionage operations uncovered on British soil since the Cambridge Spy Ring of the 1960s.
All members of the cell are Bulgarian nationals who had settled in the UK. They are believed to have been directed by suspected Russian spy handler Jan Marsalek.
Marsalek, an Austrian businessman, is one of the world’s most wanted men following the £1.5 billion collapse of payment processing firm Wirecard. He is suspected of having Kremlin ties dating back over a decade.
The group was dubbed “The Minions” in a private WhatsApp group where leaders discussed their covert operations.
A three-year espionage operation
The trial exposed six key operations carried out by the spy ring between 2020 and 2023.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC detailed their sophisticated tactics:
“Over nearly three years, they sought to gather information for the benefit of Russia—an enemy of the UK—on various targets, both people and physical locations. Their activities caused obvious and inevitable prejudice to the safety and interests of the United Kingdom.”
Targeting high-profile journalists and dissidents
One of their main targets was Christo Grozev, an investigative journalist for Bellingcat. He had exposed Russian state operations, including the downing of MH17 in 2014 and the 2018 Novichok poisoning in Salisbury.
The spies discussed placing operatives next to him on a plane, stealing his laptop and phone, burning his property, kidnapping him, or even assassinating him.
Another target was Roman Dobrokhotov, a Russian journalist and known Kremlin dissident. He fled Russia in November 2022, only to become the focus of The Minions’ espionage efforts.
Attempt to manipulate Kazakh opposition
The group also planned an elaborate sting operation at the Kazakh embassy in London.
They proposed using drones to drop pig’s blood on the embassy in September 2022, hoping to lure out anti-regime protesters. Their goal was to gather intelligence on attendees and hand it over to Kazakhstan’s pro-Putin government.
Surveillance on a US military base in Germany
Perhaps their most audacious operation involved surveilling Patch Barracks, a US military base in Stuttgart, in late 2022.
This base was believed to be training Ukrainian forces in surface-to-air weapons, at the height of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Their plan was to deploy sophisticated espionage technology to capture intelligence about military personnel and operations at the airbase,” said Ms Morgan.
A haul of spy equipment uncovered
When police raided Roussev’s Great Yarmouth guesthouse, they discovered a treasure trove of espionage equipment hidden inside everyday objects.
Among the items seized were:
- 221 mobile phones
- 258 hard drives
- 495 SIM cards
- 33 audio recording devices
- 55 visual recording devices
- 11 drones
- 16 radios
- Three IMSI grabbers (used to intercept phone data)
- 75 passports and fake identity documents, including 55 under false names
Some of the most shocking finds included covert recording devices concealed inside a rock, a men’s tie, a Coca-Cola bottle, and a Minions cuddly toy.
Love triangle in the dock
The trial also revealed a tangled love triangle within the group.
Dzhambazov lived with his partner Ivanova in Harrow but was arrested naked in bed at his ex-girlfriend Gaberova’s flat near Euston Station.
This led to a frosty atmosphere in the courtroom, as both women sat just feet apart, listening to the details of their partner’s espionage activities.
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Gaberova, a beautician, insisted she was unaware of Dzhambazov’s activities, claiming he initially posed as an Interpol agent.
Meanwhile, Ivanova, a laboratory assistant, said she was manipulated and controlled by Dzhambazov and believed she was exposing corruption, not working for Russia.
Guilty verdicts and awaiting sentencing
The three defendants convicted today – Ivanchev, Gaberova, and Ivanova – denied all charges but were found guilty of conspiring to collect information useful to an enemy state.
Roussev, Dzhambazov, and Stoyanov pleaded guilty before the trial began.
Ivanova is also facing additional charges for possessing false identity documents.
The group now faces years behind bars, with sentencing expected in the coming weeks.
This case is seen as one of the largest and most complex espionage networks uncovered in Britain in recent decades, raising concerns over Russia’s extensive intelligence operations on UK soil.
