Bulgarians Jailed in London for Espionage on Behalf of Russia

A London court has sentenced six Bulgarian citizens to prison terms ranging from 5 to nearly 11 years for involvement in a Russian espionage network. The BBC Russian Service reported the verdicts earlier this week.

Orlin Rusev, identified as the leader of the group, received the harshest sentence — 10 years and 8 months. Other members include Bizer Djambazov (10 years, 2 months), Katrin Ivanova (9 years, 8 months), Vanya Gaberova, Tihomir Ivanchev, and Ivan Stoyanov — each receiving between 5 and 9 years.

Between 2020 and 2023, the group operated across several countries — the UK, Germany, Austria, Spain, and Montenegro — allegedly on assignments from Russian intelligence. The court heard that they had monitored investigative journalists and discussed plans for kidnapping or assassination, although no such actions were carried out.

The investigation also revealed that Orlin Rusev was receiving instructions from Jan Marsalek, a former Wirecard executive who fled to Russia in 2020 and remains internationally wanted.