Two Bulgarian nationals, Orlin Roussev, 46, and Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, have pleaded guilty in the UK to being part of a spy ring orchestrated by a Russian agent. The two used hundreds of devices, including drones, jammers, and hidden bugs, to target individuals and locations of interest to Moscow.
The men admitted to conducting surveillance across Europe over a three-year period starting in 2020. Three other suspects, Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, denied the charges, with their trial continuing into February.
According to prosecutor Alison Morgan, the ring operated under the direction of Jan Marsalek, an Austrian fugitive and former Wirecard COO. Marsalek is believed to be an intermediary for Russian intelligence and is thought to have fled to Russia in June 2020, shortly after the Wirecard scandal broke, with $1.9 billion missing from the company’s accounts.
The group reportedly targeted a U.S. military base in Germany, where Ukrainian forces were allegedly training, and surveilled critics of Russia, including journalist Christo Grozev, who works for Bellingcat. Roussev even exchanged messages about stealing Grozev’s computer and considering extreme actions like kidnapping or killing him.
Roussev, based in Great Yarmouth, and Dzhambazov, living in London, used advanced technology for their operations. The court was told that Roussev’s guesthouse in Great Yarmouth was packed with spy equipment, including mobile phones, drones, jammers, and eavesdropping devices.
The defendants were involved in six spying operations on behalf of Russia and were charged by British counterterrorism police earlier this year. Other targets included Roman Dobrokhotov, editor of The Insider, Kazakh politician Bergey Ryskaliyev, and Russian dissident Kiril Kachur.
In May, the UK expelled a Russian diplomat suspected of espionage, citing the Bulgarian spy ring as part of a broader pattern of malicious Russian activity in the UK and beyond.
