15 August 2023 , 09:57
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A trio of suspected Russian espionage agents have been charged following a major investigation conducted by the UK security services. Two other people have also been arrested.
Orlin Roussev, 45, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, Bizer Dzhambazov, 42, of Harrow, north-west London, and Katrin Ivanova, 31, of the same Harrow address, were named as the three Bulgarian citizens initially held on remand for espionage. Two others, aged 32 and 29, were arrested at addresses in central and north London and subsequently bailed.
The named trio were initially arrested in February on suspicion of working for the Russian security services. They were said to have been in possession of identity documents and had "improper intention" to use them. They are said to have known that the IDs they had were forgeries. Among the documents were ID cards, passports, and other documents for several countries, including the UK, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and the Czech Republic.
Counter-terror detectives from the Metropolitan Police seized the three. The Met is responsible for national policing in relation to espionage. All three are said to have lived in the UK for several years and held a number of different jobs. They all lived in suburban locations. Mr Roussev has a documented history of business dealings with Russia, and moved to the UK in 2009 where he has worked in financial services.
Bizer Dzhambazov and Katrin Ivanova are said to be a couple who lived in Harrow, north London, while spying for the Russian state (Facebook)Roussev's LinkedIn profile lists his previous experience as owning a signals intelligence business. The company is involved in intercepting communication signals. Roussev - who once advised the Bulgarian Energy Ministry - listed his most-recent address as a guest house on the seafront in Great Yarmouth.
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Dzhambazov and Ivanova have been described by their Harrow neighbours as a couple who moved to the UK 10 years ago, and Dzhambazov has reportedly worked as a hospital driver, while Ivanova worked as a private sector laboratory assistant. They also ran a Bulgarian community organisation, which is said to have worked to introduce Bulgarians into the "culture and norms of British society", reports the BBC.
Official documents found online showed the pair worked for electoral services in London. They helped Bulgarian citizens living abroad to vote back home. Neighbours at their Harrow home recalled the couple bringing them pies and cakes as presents, according to the broadcaster. Police conducted a thorough search of the address and spent a significant time looking for evidence. Neighbours added that police could be seen on the street for more than seven days.
All three suspected spies face trial at the Old Bailey in January, and none of them have yet offered a plea to the charges they face. Espionage, in which an agent is found guilty of assisting a foreign government, carries a maximum sentence of 14 years. Those found guilty of disclosing official secrets can be jailed for life.
In recent years, several high-profile Russian spying operations have been disrupted on UK soil. Russian agents tried to murder double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in 2018 using the Novichok nerve agent. Another woman, Dawn Sturgess, was also exposed to the poison after it was left in a perfume bottle on the streets of Wiltshire. Back in 2006, Alexander Litvinenko was also assassinated by Russian state operatives in London.