Five Bulgarian nationals charged in UK with spying for Russia
Three of ring already accused of possessing fake documents after counterterrorism swoop under Official Secrets Act
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Five Bulgarians suspected of spying for Russia will be charged with conspiracy to conduct espionage, prosecutors say.
Three of the members of the spy ring, who have lived in the UK for years, had been charged in February with possessing fake documents, said to include passports for a number of countries, “with improper intention”.
Orlin Roussev, Bizer Dzhambazov and Katrin Ivanova were arrested in Britain as part of an Official Secrets Act investigation when counterterrorism police swooped on homes in Harrow and Great Yarmouth.
The documents they had allegedly included passports and identity cards for countries including the UK, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Greece and the Czech Republic.
The trio were remanded in custody after being charged in February, then appeared at London’s Old Bailey on 31 July and were again remanded in custody.
All three suspects have reportedly lived in the UK for years, working in various jobs and occupying suburban properties.
Roussev, whose address last month was the Haydee guesthouse in Great Yarmouth, claims on LinkedIn that he was an adviser to the Bulgarian energy minister. On moving to the UK, reportedly in 2009, he spent three years as chief technical officer at a financial services firm, and lists himself as having owned a firm involved in AI and advanced communications systems for 10 years.
People working in businesses on the same street as the Haydee said they had seen no sign of guests at the property in at least a year.
Neighbours of Ivanova and Dzhambazov in a “quiet cul-de-sac” in Harrow spoke of their shock when details began to emerge of the seemingly innocuous years the couple spent in Britain.
They said the couple, known as Max and Kate, “kept a low profile” and even lived next door to a police officer.
Originally from the Bulgarian capital Sofia, they lived with Ivanova’s mother, according to one resident. Dzhambazov was said to be a hospital driver, transporting blood between blood banks.
Another former neighbour said the couple enjoyed trips abroad and having barbecues in their back garden, while Dzhambazov would often do weightlifting at his home with a friend.
Ivanova worked as a laboratory assistant for a private healthcare firm, according to LinkedIn, which states she has been in the UK since at least 2013.
The pair were involved in a community organisation supporting Bulgarians and were said to have worked for electoral commissions in London that help Bulgarian expats to vote.
One resident, who did not want to be identified, told The Independent he would frequently greet the couple, describing them as “friendly, chatty, normal neighbours”.
A man who worked in a shop a few doors away described Dzhambazov as “just like a normal Joe Bloggs”, someone who was “in and out” of his shop like anyone else.
Another neighbour, Dahlia Kaholaif, said the pair “kept to themselves”. “The neighbourhood is a friendly one, but the fact we never interacted tells that they were a secluded kind of people,” she said.
Many residents said they had noticed a large police presence on the road in February when the pair were arrested.
“There’s a lot of crazy things around here that don’t get picked up. It’s a very up-and-down town at the minute,” said Billy, a 28-year-old bartender. “It’s either nothing happens or everything happens, … It’s a seaside town, it’s kind of part and parcel, unfortunately.”
Nick Price, head of the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said of the charges: “The CPS has authorised a charge of conspiracy to conduct espionage against three men and two women suspected of spying for Russia.
“Orlin Roussev, 45, Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, Katrin Ivanova, 31, Ivan Stoyanov, 31, and Vanya Gaberova, 29, will be charged with conspiring to collect information intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state between 30 August 2020 and 8 February 2023.
“Roussev, Dzhambazov, and Ivanova were previously charged on 11 February 2023 with possession of false identity documents with improper intention under section four of the Identity Documents Act 2010.
“The charges follow an investigation by the Metropolitan Police.”
All five are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 26 September.
Spy chiefs say “hostile state threats” account for increasing proportions of their work, and Russia has been a particular focus since the attempted assassination of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in 2018 with nerve agent novichok in Salisbury.