Uncovering a Sprawling Russian Spy Network Operated from the UK

The recent trial of a Bulgarian spy ring sheds light on a sophisticated network orchestrated by Russian intelligence from the UK. This group engaged in espionage tactics like surveillance and plotted kidnaps and murders, while managing to elude authorities for years.

Roman Dobrokhotov, a journalist known for exposing Vladimir Putin’s regime, often lives in fear of retaliation. His high-profile investigations have made him a target for the Kremlin, particularly since he was pivotal in revealing agents behind the infamous 2018 Salisbury poisonings. In 2021, as he prepared to board a flight from Budapest to Berlin to testify in a murder trial, a seemingly innocent brunette woman caught his attention as she sat close to him on the plane. She was, unbeknownst to him, part of a Bulgarian spy ring sent to surveil him.

This woman, Katrin Ivanova, had arrived in Budapest from Luton Airport and had been directed by her partner, Biser Dzhambazov, who was waiting in Berlin. Another accomplice, identified as Cvetka, had conducted a reconnaissance mission beforehand. The group operated clandestinely for years, tracking and targeting enemies of the Kremlin, and facilitated three of their members' convictions in March at the Old Bailey in London for their involvement in a broader conspiracy.

In a chilling reflection of escalation, Dobrokhotov explained, “We’re in a situation where only some of us will survive. It will be either Russian journalists and human rights activists or Vladimir Putin and his killers.” The group coordinating the operations also included Orlin Roussev, a self-proclaimed expert in signals intelligence residing in the UK since 2009.

Authorities discovered a treasure trove of sophisticated surveillance equipment in Roussev’s Great Yarmouth home, which held tools for extensive monitoring, such as covert cameras disguised within everyday items and a wealth of fake identity documents. The police uncovered how Roussev and Jan Marsalek, a fugitive with ties to Russian intelligence, communicated plans undermining Putin’s opposition targeting journalists, dissidents, and even politicians.

Among the topics exchanged within their extensive messages—totalling over 78,000—were plots that included surveillance on fellow reporters like Christo Grozev, who received threats from Russian operatives, and strategic plans aimed at Ukrainian soldiers believed to be training in Germany.

As the group's actions escalated, they were ultimately apprehended before their schemes became operational. In their trials, some members plead guilty while others denied any knowledge of serving Russian interests, though the jury disagreed. Sentencing is scheduled for May, and they could face up to 14 years in prison.

Despite these arrests, Dobrokhotov remarked on the relentless danger to journalists from the Kremlin, insisting that until there is shift in power, similar operatives will continue to emerge. His staunch viewpoint suggests a larger cycle of hostility will persist, fueled by the directives of a government led by a man he calls “a psychopath who has no borders.”