Five Bulgarian nationals are facing espionage charges in the UK: Orlin Roussev, Bizer Dzhambazov, Katrin Ivanova, Ivan Stoyanov and Vanya Gaberova will be brought before Westminster Magistrates’ Court next Tuesday to face charges of conspiracy to commit espionage for Russia’s benefit against her.

The charges arise from a thorough investigation carried out by the Metropolitan Police, which revealed that the defendants were involved in espionage activities between August 2020 and February 2023. These individuals allegedly operated as an espionage cell for the Russian security services, carrying out surveillance and information gathering duties in England and Europe, which they then sent to Russia.

One of the defendants, Orlin Roussev, 45, was identified as the alleged British leader of this operation, in addition to serving as a liaison with intelligence recipients. During searches carried out at properties occupied by the three defendants in London and Norfolk (Roussev, Dzhambazov and Ivanova), suspected forged passports and identity documents spanning several countries, including the UK, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia , Greece and the Czech Republic. Some of these documents contain photos of Roussev and Dzhambazov, and it is suspected that Roussev himself created these forgeries.

Surveillance operations in Montenegro

In addition, the group also faces charges related to organizing surveillance operations in Montenegro, which involved creating fake identity documents for journalists, including documents containing the image of Katrin Ivanova.

Roussev, Dzhambazov and Ivanova have lived in the UK for several years, where they held various jobs and lived in different suburban properties. Roussev, with business experience in Russia, moved to the UK in 2009 and, according to his LinkedIn profile, worked in financial services before becoming the owner of a signals intelligence company. He also admitted to having acted as an advisor to the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy at one time.

On the other hand, Dzhambazov and Ivanova, who are described as a couple, moved to England about a decade ago. Dzhambazov works as a hospital driver, while Ivanova works as a laboratory assistant in a private healthcare company and is also involved in community activities for the Bulgarian community in the UK, helping Bulgarians adapt to British society.

Vanya Gaberova, 29, an award-winning beautician and eyelash competition judge, is also among those accused of an espionage plot that has rocked Britain and raised concerns about national security and international cooperation in the fight against espionage. @mundiario