3 Bulgarian nationals in UK found guilty of spying for Russia

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Three London-based Bulgarian nationals, arrested last year, have been found guilty of spying for Russia.

Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, were involved in of a group of Bulgarians who spied from 2020 to 2023.

They were arrested In February 2024 under the Official Secrets Act by Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism detectives and are charged with conspiracy to conduct espionage.

Ivanova was also charged with possessing identity documents with "improper intention."

The BBC reported that the spying cell undertook elaborate surveillance on people and places targeted by Russia, including investigative journalists and a US military base in Germany, with members crisscrossing Europe from their base in the UK.

Dominic Murphy, Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism chief, said devices used by spies were the sort of thing "you would really expect to see in a spy novel."

Other Bulgarians, Orlin Roussev, 47, from Great Yarmouth, and Biser Dzhambazov, 43, from London, had previously admitted conspiracy to spy, while a sixth defendant, Ivan Stoyanov, 34, also admitted spying before the trial.

According to the report, the police investigation received 221 mobile phones, 495 sim cards, 11 drones, and devices allowing data to be extracted from phones and eavesdropping on wi-fi activity.