Russian spies plotted ‘fake blood’ protest at London embassy, jurors told
The UK-based ringleader, Orlin Roussev, had brainstormed ideas with his Russian spymaster, the Old Bailey heard.
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A spy network plotted to spray fake blood on the Kazakhstan embassy in London to help Russia, a court has heard.
The UK-based ringleader, Orlin Roussev, had brainstormed ideas with his Russian spymaster, including creating “deep fake porn” depicting the son of the Kazakhstan president and targeting him with a “honeytrap”, the Old Bailey was told.
Jurors heard the aim was to create the pretence that the spies had genuine intelligence about activists to pass on to Kazakhstan intelligence services, to enable Russia to “gain favour” with government officials.
In September 2022, Russian agent Jan Marsalek told Roussev: “Glorious news from Kazakhstan: Kazakh intelligence is in a small panic and wants our Russian friends to investigate who this new group of activists is.”
Outlining the operation on Tuesday, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said that Marsalek initiated discussion about the Kazakhstan president’s family and called for “creative ideas to make their lives miserable”.
Ideas included “leaking sex videos” and “crashing” the currency, jurors heard.
On August 28 2022, Marsalek wrote: “I was thinking of graffitis and demonstrations outside the Kazakhstan embassy in London and also maybe a deep fake porn video of the son of the president.”
Roussev replied: “Yes both are cool and very feasible.”
Marsalek went on: “Also a honeytrap for the son when he is travelling in Europe could be a fun option.”
On the fake blood drop option, he wrote: “The idea is we film it and publish it saying it’s the blood of the innocent Kazakh people which the president had on his hands.”
They discussed using a drone to spray the blood or orchestrating a protest to spray the walls of the embassy, jurors heard.
Ms Morgan said they wanted to create “momentum” behind the fake protest, even advertising it on double decker buses.
Marsalek also said he was preparing a mailing campaign to write to public officials in Europe and the United States urging them to sanction Kazakhstan, its president and his family for failing to condemn the invasion of Ukraine.
Jurors were shown one such letter addressed to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
The ring allegedly carried out surveillance of the embassy and identified a pub called The Chatsworth Bar as a location for meetings of the fake activists.
The so-called “minions” that Roussev used for this operation were Biser Dzhambazov, Ivan Stoyanov and Katrin Ivanova, the prosecution claim.
Jurors were told that Ivanova was to be paid for her part and jurors were shown a video which appeared to show fake blood sourced by the group.
Ms Morgan said the whole thing was “staged”, adding: “It’s all fake but the idea is, it gives the impression the Russians are prepared to help Kazakhstan.”
Roussev, 46, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and Dzhambazov, 43, of Harrow, north-west London, have pleaded guilty to conspiring to spy for Russia.
Fellow Bulgarian nationals Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, have denied being part of the same network for nearly three years.
Ivanova has denied a second charge of possession of false identity documents with improper intention under Section 4 of the Identity Documents Act 2010.
At the time of the alleged offences, Ivanchev was living in Acton, west London, Ivanova in Harrow, north-west London, and Gaberova in Euston, north London.
Jurors have heard the group were involved in six operations against individuals and places of interest to the Russian state.
Other targets were Bellingcat investigative journalist Christo Grozev, 54, UK-based Russian journalist Roman Dobrokhotov, 41, who founded The Insider, and Kazakhstan dissident Bergey Ryskaliyev.
The Old Bailey trial continues.