Russian Spy Network Operates from the UK: Revelations of Political Espionage**

A covert group led by Bulgarian operatives, linked to Russian intelligence, schemed to conduct surveillance, kidnappings, and even planned political assassinations across Europe. Their activities highlight the ongoing threat posed by state-sponsored espionage under Vladimir Putin's regime.**

Roman Dobrokhotov is no stranger to danger. As the editor of The Insider—a publication focused on investigating Vladimir Putin's regime—his work has made him a recognizable target for the Kremlin. One such instance was in 2021 when he boarded a flight from Budapest to Berlin to testify in a murder trial. Unbeknownst to him, a woman named Katrin Ivanova, a Bulgarian operative, was closely monitoring him from onboard, equipped with a hidden camera.

That day, Ivanova had arrived from Luton, having received Dobrokhotov’s flight details beforehand. As the plane approached Berlin, she signaled her partner, Biser Dzhambazov, who waited for them upon landing. This marked just one planned operation from a group dedicated to tracking Putin's adversaries throughout Europe.

The details of this spy cell were unveiled following a trial where three members were convicted on March 7 at London’s Old Bailey, with others previously admitting their involvement. "Only some of us will survive,” Dobrokhotov remarked, highlighting the dire situation for journalists and human rights activists.

Their leader, Orlin Roussev, a Bulgarian who moved to the UK in 2009, had developed a signals intelligence business and amassed an arsenal of surveillance equipment at his Great Yarmouth residence. This included sophisticated devices for monitoring communications, as well as tools for creating false identities.

Roussev previously conspired with Jan Marsalek, a former executive connected to Russian intelligence, who coordinated operations while evading arrest on fraud charges in Germany. Together, they planned various operations focusing on journalists like Dobrokhotov and allies of the Kremlin, including discussions of kidnapping and assassination.

From August 2020 to February 2023, Roussev and Marsalek exchanged tens of thousands of messages detailing espionage tasks aimed at high-profile dissidents. One operation involved surveilling Christo Grozev, another investigative journalist, where surveillance was orchestrated through the involvement of other group members disguised as civilians.

The group's operational structure was characterized by a mixture of diverse professions, including beauticians and construction workers, who operated under Roussev’s guidance and reported to Marsalek. While relationships among group members were complicated—comprised of both romantic entanglements and hierarchical dynamics—they coordinated effectively.

Key targets included political dissidents such as Bergey Ryskaliyev—a former Kazakh politician—and Ukrainian military personnel believed to be in Germany. Plans were set in motion to capture sensitive data, which could potentially aid Russian military operations. However, the group was apprehended in early 2023, thwarting their espionage ambitions.

Following their arrests, the defendants pleaded guilty and were found guilty of conspiracy to conduct espionage. While Roussev and others await sentencing, Dobrokhotov fears such operations will continue as long as Putin remains in power, stating, “If there is no regime change, there will be new and new teams of people who come to kill or kidnap you.”

These revelations underscore the persistence of state-sponsored espionage and the associated risks faced by those opposing authoritarian regimes like that of Vladimir Putin.