UK-based Russian spy ring linked to ‘highest echelons’ in Bulgaria, trial told
The court heard that three Bulgarians helped in the 2021 election when President Rumen Radev was elected.
A UK-based spy ring had connections in the “highest echelons” of the Bulgarian government, a court has heard.
Katrin Ivanova, 33, and two others are accused of being part of a group of Bulgarians who carried out surveillance on places and people of interest to the Russian state.
Her partner Biser Dzhambazov, 43, from Harrow, north London, and Orlin Roussev, 46, from Great Yarmouth, have admitted being part of the three-year plot.
Ivanova has claimed she was deceived, controlled and betrayed by Dzhambazov and had thought she was exposing “corruption” when she followed investigative journalist Christo Grozev around Europe.
Cross-examining on Wednesday, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC suggested Ivanova was the “corruption” and the spy ring’s “chief minion” whose partner had links to power in Bulgaria.
The court heard how Ivanova, Dzhambazov and co-accused Vanya Gaberova had helped in the 2021 election when Bulgarian President Rumen Radev was elected.
Ivanova told jurors that someone at the Bulgarian Embassy in London had contacted her about helping to sign off votes at a polling station but she never shared with officials her concerns about corruption.
Ms Morgan asked: “So thinking now and knowing you are a dishonest person, do you think you should have been signing off on that document on the number of votes cast in the Bulgarian election?
“You are the corruption, aren’t you?”
The defendant denied it.
Ms Morgan said: “You are a very educated, intelligent woman, Ms Ivanova, and this is your home country you care about so much. What was the name of the Bulgarian president in 2021?”
Ivanova repeatedly said she did not know the president’s name.
Ms Morgan suggested Ivanova would not answer because she knew “full well about Mr Dzhambazov’s connections to the highest echelons to the Bulgarian government”.
“I’m going to suggest when you are going through this election process it is inconceivable he did not mention to you the connections he had in the Bulgarian government.
“You put all this time into the elections. You were working there, Mr Dzhambazov and Ms Gaberova were working there,” the prosecutor said.
Ms Morgan said Dzhambazov “could not wait to manipulate” his connection to power and was “gleeful” when he discussed the result with Roussev.
Ivanova said: “I don’t remember if he was happy.”
Ms Morgan read out a text exchange in which Roussev asked Dzhambazov about the “new authority” and if they were going to “meet the upper echelon”.
Dzhambazov replied that it was “very good”, that he had a “very strong relationship” with Mr Radev, and two other senior Bulgarian politicians, saying it was “iron clad”.
Ms Morgan said: “Mr Dzhambazov believed he had the president of Bulgaria on side, didn’t he?
“If you have connections and power in Bulgaria you can do many illegal things and you had connections with power, didn’t you Ms Ivanova?”
Ivanova replied: “I did not have any connection with Bulgarian echelon, the president of Bulgaria.”
Casting doubt on her testimony, Ms Morgan said: “It’s good acting. This country you love so much you want to expose corruption, you cannot even remember the head of state. It’s all lies.”
Ms Morgan went on to ask Ivanova about a meeting she had with two Russians in Montenegro which the prosecution claim were the spies’ paymasters.
In February 2022, Dzhambazov had told Ivanova of a need to show they were “professionals” and “deserve money”.
Ivanova replied: “If need be, I will stand on my head.”
Ms Morgan told the defendant: “You would do anything to impress the Russians to show them you deserve your money because you knew full well they were the ones who were paying you.
“That’s why you were prepared to ‘stand on your head’, if that’s what it took.”
Ivanova denied knowing who the Russian man and woman were, or that they were the source of the money.
Earlier in her evidence, she claimed she thought they were victims of a fraud by Russian dissident Kirill Kachur, who was believed to be in Montenegro.
The group was allegedly offered £700,000 to get Mr Kachur for the Russians, even if he was killed in the process.
Ivanova, Gaberova, 30, from Euston, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, of Acton, deny conspiracy to spy between August 30 2020 and February 8 2023.
Ivanova has also pleaded not guilty to a second charge of possession of false identity documents.
The Old Bailey trial continues.
