LONDON (AP) 鈥� Six Bulgarians convicted of carrying out were sentenced by a London judge Monday to prison terms up to nearly 11 years.
The group that used Hollywood code names discussed kidnapping or killing Kremlin opponents as they targeted reporters, diplomats and Ukrainian troops in the U.K., Germany Austria, Spain and Montenegro between 2020 and 2023, prosecutors said.
No one was physically harmed but the group put lives in jeopardy, prosecutors said.
鈥淚t is self-evident that a high price attaches to the safety and interests of this nation,鈥� Justice Nicholas Hilliard, said. 鈥淭he defendants put these things at risk by using this country as a base from which to plan the various operations. ... Anyone who uses this country in that way, in the circumstances of this case, commits a very serious offense.鈥�
Ringleader Orlin Roussev, who operated out of a former guesthouse in the English seaside resort town of Great Yarmouth, was given the stiffest sentence 鈥� 10 years and 8 months in prison 鈥� for being involved in all six operations discovered by police. He and the others faced up to 14 years behind bars.
Roussev worked for alleged Russian agent who is wanted by Interpol for fraud and embezzlement after the 2020 collapse of German payment processing firm Wirecard, prosecutors said. His whereabouts are unknown.
Stiff sentences send a message
Security Minister Dan Jarvis said the case sends a warning to other foes that Britain will use its 鈥渇ull range of tools鈥� to 鈥渄etect, disrupt, and deter malicious acts from hostile states and protect the public.鈥�
Roussev, 47, and his lieutenant Biser Dzhambazov, 44, pleaded guilty in London鈥檚 Central Criminal Court last year to espionage charges and having false identity documents. Dzhambazov was sentenced to 10 years and 2 months in prison.
Roussev called himself Jackie Chan and Dzhambazov was dubbed Mad Max, or Jean-Claude Van Damme. Their underlings were dubbed 鈥淢inions鈥� from the animated 鈥淒espicable Me鈥� franchise.
Police said their fanciful pseudonyms masked a deadly serious gang.
In one operation, members tried to lure a journalist who uncovered Moscow鈥檚 involvement in the 2018 Novichok in Salisbury, England, into a 鈥渉oneytrap鈥� romance with another member of the group, Vanya Gaberova.
The spies followed Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian researcher for the online publication Bellingcat, from Vienna to a conference in Valencia, Spain, and the gang鈥檚 ringleaders discussed robbing and killing him, or kidnapping him and taking him to Russia.
鈥淟earning only in retrospect that foreign agents have been monitoring my movements, communications and home, surveying my loved ones over an extended period 鈥� has been terrifying, disorientating and deeply destabilizing,鈥� Grozev said in a statement read during the four-day sentencing hearing. 鈥淭he consequences have not faded with time 鈥� they have fundamentally changed how I live my daily life and how I relate to the world around me.鈥�
Ringleader claimed he was 鈥榥o James Bond鈥�
In another operation, members of the group conducted surveillance on a U.S. air base in Germany where they believed Ukrainian troops were training.
After police raided his house and arrested Roussev, he denied doing anything on behalf of any government.
鈥淚 would be thrilled to see how on God鈥檚 earth there is a connection between me and Russia or any other state because I haven鈥檛 been a spy or government agent,鈥� Roussev said in a police interview. 鈥淣o James Bond activity on my end, I guarantee you.鈥�
Messages to Marsalek, however, showed him talking about his 鈥淚ndiana Jones warehouse鈥� of spy equipment and said he was becoming like 鈥淨,鈥� the mastermind behind Bond鈥檚 gadgets.
Roussev's house was loaded with spy tech. He had equipment used to jam Wi-Fi and GPS signals, along with eavesdropping devices and car trackers. Cameras were hidden in sunglasses, pens, neckties and cuddly toys, including one in a Minion doll.
A selfie of Marsalek wearing a Russian uniform was found on Roussev鈥檚 phone.
Three of the so-called minions were convicted at trial in March of spying for an enemy state.
Katrin Ivanova, 33, was sentenced to 9 years and 8 months in prison; Gaberova, 30, was sentenced to 6 years and 8 months; and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, was sentenced to 8 years.
Ivan Stoyanov, 33, a mixed martial arts fighter who pleaded guilty to spying for Russia, was sentenced to 5 years and 3 weeks.
Each convict faces deportation after they are released from prison.
Spy ring contains love triangle
Both women had claimed during the trial that they had been deceived and manipulated by Dzhambazov.
Dzhambazov, who worked for a medical courier company but claimed to be an Interpol police officer, was in a relationship with both women 鈥� his laboratory assistant and longtime partner Ivanova and beautician Gaberova.
Gaberova had ditched painter-decorator Ivanchev for the 鈥渦gly鈥� Dzhambazov, who took her to a Michelin-starred restaurant and stayed with her in a five-star hotel during a surveillance mission. When police arrested the suspects in February 2023, they found Dzhambazov naked in bed with Gaberova rather than at home with Ivanova.
Defense lawyer Anthony Metzer said Gaberova was naive and her case was tragic as she 鈥渟lipped into criminality鈥� under Dzhambazov's romantic spell.
But the judge said she knew what she was doing was for Russia.
鈥淵ou found what you were doing exciting and glamorous, as demonstrated by the film you took of yourself wearing surveillance glasses in Montenegro,鈥� Justice Hilliard said.
Brian Melley, The Associated Press
