Five Bulgarians charged in UK with spying for Russia

Five Bulgarian nationals suspected of spying for Russia have been charged in the UK with conspiracy to conduct espionage. The Crown Prosecution Service said the five are accused of conspiring to gather information that would be useful to an enemy between August 2020 and February this year. 

Nick Price, head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “The CPS has authorised a charge of conspiracy to conduct espionage against three men and two women suspected of spying for Russia.

“Orlin Roussev, 45, Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, Katrin Ivanova, 31, Ivan Stoyanov, 31, and Vanya Gaberova, 29, will be charged with conspiring to collect information intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state between August 30 2020 and February 8 2023.

“Roussev, Dzhambazov and Ivanova were previously charged on February 11 2023 with possession of false identity documents with improper intention under section 4 of the Identity Documents Act 2010.”

They are all due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on September 26.

The five were arrested by the Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Command in February under the Official Secrets Act.

Last month it emerged that Roussev, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, Dzhambazov, of Harrow, north-west London, and Ivanova, of the same Harrow address, were facing charges which allege they were in possession of 34 identity documents, some of which were suspected to be false.

The trio appeared at the Old Bailey in July to face those charges.