Authorities from the United Kingdom are set to criminally charge five Bulgarian nationals living in the region for allegedly spying for Russia over three years.
Prosecutors said the suspects will face conspiracy charges to conduct espionage and noted that the defendants include three men and two women. The individuals are accused of "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."
UK To Charge 5 Bulgarian Nationals for Spying for Russia
They added that the charges against the defendants relate to alleged offenses between August 2020 and February 2023. Officials identified the suspects 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 of the defendants were Bulgarian nationals living in London and Norfolk.
The defendants are all set to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Sept. 26. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that three of the suspects, Roussev, Dzhambazov, and Ivanova, were charged in February with "possession of false identity documents with improper intention," as per Aljazeera.
The suspects all appeared at London's Old Bailey court in July to face those charges. In a statement, the CPS said that the charges follow an investigation by the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command.
Prosecutors also warned that for a fair trial to be conducted, there needed to be no reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online that could potentially prejudice the proceedings.
British authorities have sought tougher action on external security threats and potential spies. In July, they passed a national security law that seeks to overhaul the region's means of deterring espionage and foreign interference with new tools and criminal provisions.
Prosecutions for espionage are rare in British courts, with cases of spying by foreign nationals often dealt with through expulsions. However, relations between the UK and Russia have deteriorated following Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, according to The Guardian.
Charges of Espionage
In recent years, there have been a growing number of high-profile Russian plots, including the murder of the Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko in 2016 and the attempted murder of the Russian defector Sergei Skripal in 2018.
The three suspects charged in February have lived in the UK for several years and worked various jobs while living in several suburban properties. Internet searches showed that Roussev previously had technical jobs, which in 2009 described him as a network engineer and software developer.
The defendants are also accused of organizing a surveillance operation in Montenegro, which involved the creation of fake identification cards for journalists, including one in the image of Ivanova.
The situation comes as Roussev has a known history of business dealings in Russia, moved to the UK in 2009, and spent three years in a technical role in financial services. In his LinkedIn profile, he is said to own a business involved in signals intelligence, which includes the interception of communications or electronic signals, said BBC.
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