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Six members of a Russian spy ring who operated across the United Kingdom and Europe for more than three years were sentenced Monday to a combined 53 years in prison in one of the most serious espionage cases in recent British history.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the six—all Bulgarian nationals—belonged to a covert network directed by Orlin Roussev, 47, who received instructions from Jan Marsalek, an alleged intermediary for the Russian intelligence services. The group received significant, though undisclosed, sums for their covert activities of gathering intelligence on journalists, dissidents, and strategic sites of interest to Moscow.
Roussev was sentenced to 10 years and eight months at the Old Bailey in London. His associates Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, received 10 years and two months, and eight years respectively. Katrin Ivanova, 33—who was also convicted of possessing fake passports and ID cards—was jailed for nine years and eight months. Vanya Gaberova, 30, received six years and eight months, while Ivan Stoyanov, 32, was sentenced to five years and three weeks.
The spy ring carried out operations across the UK and mainland Europe between August 2020 and February 2023. The CPS said the group manufactured fake documents, deployed covert recording devices disguised in items such as lighters and water bottles, and used drones, hidden cameras and surveillance glasses to gather intelligence. Evidence recovered from Roussev’s home included what authorities described as a “spy factory.”
“This was a high-level espionage operation with significant financial rewards for those involved in the spy ring,” said Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS’s counterterrorism division. “By targeting individuals in the U.K. fleeing persecution as well as journalists opposing the Russian regime, the group undermined the message that the U.K. is a safe country for those people.”
Targets included Bulgarian investigative journalist Christo Grozev, who worked with Bellingcat to expose Russian intelligence activities and was placed on Moscow's wanted list. Roussev, Dzhambazov, Gaberova, Ivanova, and Ivanchev allegedly spied on him, following him across countries such as Austria, Montenegro, and Spain, compiling detailed reports on his movements, accommodations, vehicle, and contacts.
The group also monitored Roman Dobrokhotov, the Russian founder of The Insider, who fled to the U.K. after being stripped of his passport. Others included former Kazakh politician Bergey Ryskaliyev, Russian defector Kirill Kachur, and even a U.S. military base in Germany, which the group believed was training Ukrainian forces.
Telegram messages exchanged between members showed the network was deeply tied to Russian state interests. According to the CPS, the chats discussed sourcing military equipment, distributing espionage software and manuals, and planning physical surveillance and hostile activity. The messages included frequent references to the FSB (Russia’s Federal Security Service), the GRU (Russian military intelligence), and President Vladimir Putin.
“It was clear the activity was for the benefit of Russia,” the CPS said in a statement, adding that was evident not only from the targets they pursued, but also from the content and context of their communications.
Authorities emphasized that a defendant did not need to hold a pro-Russian ideology to be guilty. The legal threshold was participation in a conspiracy to obtain or pass along information that could benefit Russia, directly or indirectly, in a way that harmed U.K. interests.
The prosecution relied on a vast body of evidence, including encrypted chats, travel and financial records, and a trove of technical equipment discovered at multiple properties. Covert devices were hidden in car keys, toys, sunglasses, and even rocks—tools prosecutors said showed the operation's sophistication and intent.
“The police raid on Roussev’s home revealed a spy factory… and there can be no doubt that each of the defendants knew exactly who they were spying for,” Ferguson concluded.
