Three Bulgarians found guilty of spying for Russia in the UK

Three Bulgarian citizens in the UK have been found guilty of conspiring to spy for Russia.

Katherine Ivanova, Vanya Gaberova, and Tihomir Ivanchev, all from London, were part of a Russian espionage group led by fugitive Jan Marsalek, which aimed to spy on a U.S. military base and individuals targeted by Moscow, British media report.

Ivanova (33), Gaberova (30), and Ivanchev (39) were convicted by the Old Bailey court in London on charges of conspiring to gather information useful to an enemy state. This activity took place from August 2020 to February 2023.

The prosecution said the three, along with Orlin Rusev and Bizer Dzhambazov, who pleaded guilty before the trial began, carried out surveillance on journalists and planned to stage a fake protest outside the Kazakhstan embassy in London.

The trio was convicted for conspiracy to commit espionage, while Ivanova was also convicted for possession of multiple forged identity documents.

The sentences for the Bulgarians are expected to be pronounced after May 7.

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