Bulgarians Detained in the UK for Espionage in Favor of Russia Face Charges

The British prosecution announced on Thursday that it had authorized the filing of charges against five Bulgarian citizens accused of spying for Russia for nearly three years, according to Reuters.

In the statement on the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) website, it specifically states that three men and two women are accused of "conspiring to gather information intended for the direct or indirect use by an enemy to the detriment of the security and interests of the state" during the period from August 30, 2020, to February 8, 2023.

The suspected spies are identified as 45-year-old Orlin Roussev, 41-year-old Bizer Dzhambazov, 31-year-old Katrin Ivanova, 31-year-old Ivan Stoyanov, and 29-year-old Vanya Gaberova, all Bulgarian citizens residing in London and Norfolk.

They are set to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on September 26. There has been no immediate reaction from the Russian embassy in London.

"The Royal Prosecution Service has authorized charges of conspiracy to commit espionage against three men and two women suspected of spying for Russia," said Nick Price, head of the Special Crime and Counterterrorism Division of the Royal Prosecution Service.

"The criminal investigation against these five individuals is ongoing, and each of them is entitled to a fair legal process."

Recall that Orlin Roussev, Bizer Dzhambazov, and Katrin Ivanova were arrested by detectives from the London police counter-terrorism unit back in February. During the investigation, passports and documents identifying them as citizens of the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and the Czech Republic were found in the suspects' possession.

All three of the suspected Kremlin spies had been living in the United Kingdom for many years, occasionally changing their places of work and residence.

For example, Roussev worked in the Russian business sector and moved to the UK in 2009. After working in the financial services sector for about three years, he founded his own company specializing in "signal intelligence" - intercepting communications or electronic signals.

Bizer Dzhambazov and Katrin Ivanova, according to former neighbors, were a couple. The husband allegedly worked as an ambulance driver, while his wife worked as a lab assistant in a private medical center. The couple moved to the UK ten years ago and founded a community organization with the aim of helping Bulgarian citizens become better acquainted with "the culture and norms of British society."