A “sophisticated” UK-based spy ring has recently been found guilty of espionage after passing secrets to Russia for nearly three years. This espionage case, one of the most complex investigations carried out by the Metropolitan Police, involved Bulgarian nationals Katrin Ivanova, Vanya Gaberova, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev. The group’s activities included surveillance on Russian dissidents, putting many lives at risk, with plans even to kidnap and kill certain targets.
Upon their arrest, a plethora of spyware devices were discovered, including hidden bugs, signal jammers, audio and visual recording devices, mobile phones, sim cards, drones, passports, and bank cards under various names. Two additional defendants, Orlin Roussev and Biser Dzhambazov, who were the main operators of the ring, had pleaded guilty to espionage charges ahead of the trial.
The spy ring received substantial funds, channeled through their Russian spymaster “Rupert Ticz,” believed to be Austrian national Jan Marsalek. Over the course of three years, the group plotted six spying operations, which were deemed extremely risky and included filming targets, orchestrating direct contact, and using female defendants as sexual bait to gather information.
One of their targets was Bellingcat investigative journalist Christo Grozev, known for exposing Russian links to the 2018 Salisbury attack and the downing of a Malaysia Airlines plane in 2014. The group tracked Grozev in various locations, with plans to engineer a fake romance between him and London-based beautician Gaberova.
Another operation targeted UK-based Russian investigative journalist Roman Dobrokhotov, founder of The Insider, considered a target for Russian intelligence. Ivanova sat next to him on a flight, using covert recording equipment to capture his iPhone PIN number.
The group also conducted surveillance on Kazakhstan dissident Bergey Ryskaliyev in London, discussing dressing up as Deliveroo drivers and using ambulances as cover. They staged a fake protest outside the Kazakhstan embassy to pass false intelligence to curry favor with Kazakhstan intelligence services.
In 2022, the defendants surveilled Patch Barracks, a US military airbase in Germany, using sophisticated technology to gather sensitive intelligence. Ivanova claimed she was deceived by her partner Dzhambazov and was unaware of her involvement in the spy ring until later stages.
The defendants face sentences of up to 14 years in jail for their activities in the UK, Austria, Spain, Germany, and Montenegro. The case highlights the increasing use of non-Russian operatives by Russian intelligence services and the national security threat posed by Russia, even in the absence of physical war with the UK.
The presiding judge remanded the defendants into custody until sentencing, scheduled between 7 May and 12 May. This espionage case sheds light on the intricate and dangerous world of international espionage, where lives are at stake, and the consequences of betrayal and deceit can be severe.
