A London court on May 12 sentenced six Bulgarian nationals to prison terms for operating a Russian espionage network in Britain, according to Reuters.
The convictions mark a significant development in Britain's efforts to counter Russian intelligence operations amid heightened tensions stemming from Moscow's war against Ukraine and repeated Kremlin threats toward Kyiv's allies.
Orlin Roussev, 47, identified as the ringleader, was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months for conducting six espionage operations that threatened U.K. national security. Judge Nicholas Hilliard described Roussev's actions as posing a serious threat to the country.
Roussev's deputy, Bizer Dzhambazov, 44, received a sentence of 10 years and 2 months. Both men had pleaded guilty.
Katrin Ivanova, 33, who was recruited by Dzhambazov, was sentenced to 9 years and 8 months, while Vanya Gaberova, 30, received 6 years, 8 months, and 3 weeks.
Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, was sentenced to 8 years after the court acknowledged that he had ceased his involvement before the group's 2023 arrest. Ivan Stoyanov, 33, who entered a late guilty plea, was sentenced to 5 years and 3 weeks.
Prosecutors said the network acted not directly as part of the Russian intelligence network but rather for financial gain. The Russian embassy in London did not comment on the verdict.
The Kremlin has traditionally denied espionage allegations.
Police uncovered thousands of communications linking Roussev to fugitive Jan Marsalek, a former executive at financial services company Wirecard, accused of coordinating the Bulgarian network from abroad.
Marsalek, suspected of being an agent of Russian intelligence, fled to Belarus and reportedly remains in Russia under Federal Security Service (FSB) protection.
Western intelligence agencies believe Marsalek used Wirecard to funnel money supporting covert Russian operations worldwide. Wirecard collapsed in 2020 after 1.9 billion euros ($2.1 billion) vanished from its accounts.
The verdict comes as British officials have reportedly been ordered to revise contingency plans to put the country on war alert following repeated Russian threats.
The U.K. has remained one of Ukraine's staunchest allies since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, supplying advanced weaponry, military training, and diplomatic support for Kyiv's sovereignty.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
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