LONDON (AP) – A Bulgarian man identified as the leader of a spy operation linked to Russia in the UK received a sentence of over 10 years on Monday.
Orlin Roussev, 47, orchestrated a group of five fellow Bulgarians, with prosecutors asserting that they endangered their lives while operating in the UK, Germany, Spain, and Montenegro from 2020 through 2023 for Russian intelligence.
This group focused on journalists, diplomats, and Ukrainian military personnel, and even deliberated on how to lure or eliminate adversaries of the Kremlin.
CMDR. Dominique Murphy, head of London’s Metropolitan Police, stated that the group engaged in “engine-scale spying” for Russia.
Roussev was the first among five individuals to be sentenced at the Central Criminal Court. Additional sentencing was set to proceed on Monday afternoon.
Roussev, alongside Li and 44-year-old Bizars Zahanbazov, admitted guilt to espionage charges and possession of false identity documents. Ivan Stoyanov, a 33-year-old mixed martial arts athlete, has acknowledged his role as a Russian spy.
Katrin Ivanova, aged 33, Vanya Gavelova, 30, and 39-year-old Tikho Ivanov Ivanchev were previously found guilty in March by a jury for their conspiracy to gather intelligence on adversarial conditions.
