A Bulgarian man living in the UK has been accused of spying for Russia as part of a conspiracy to conduct espionage.
Tihomir Ivanchev, 38, had been charged with conspiracy to obtain, collect, record, publish or communicate documents or information which might be or was intended to be directly or indirectly useful for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state.
He is the sixth person to be charged as part of an investigation into a suspected espionage plot, after five others were accused of carrying out surveillance for Vladimir Putin’s regime last Autumn.
It is alleged the group, all of whom are Bulgarians, were part of a ‘network’ that operated in Britain between August 2020 and February 2023.
The charges against them were brought after an investigation by counter terrorism police, with a trial expected to be heard at the Old Bailey in London in October this year.
The group are expected to go on trial at the Old Bailey in London (pictured) in October this year
Alleged spies Orlin Roussev (left) Bizer Dzhambazov (centre) and Ivan Stoyanov seen in an artist’s illustration as they appear at Westminster Magistrates court via videolink
Alleged spies Katrin Ivanova (left) and Vanya Gaberova seen in an artist’s illustration as they appear at Westminster Magistrates court via videolink
Ivanchev, 38, from Acton in west London, is set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, February 28.
The other defendants are Orlin Roussev, 46, of Princes Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk; Bizer Dzhambazov, 42, of High Road, Harrow, north-west London; Katrin Ivanova, 31, also of High Road, Harrow, north-west London; Ivan Stoyanov, 32, from Bannister Close, Greenford, west London and Vanya Gaberova, 29, from Churchfield Road, Acton, north-west London.
The group are accused of conspiring to obtain, collect, record, publish or communicate documents or information which was calculated to be, or might be or was intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state.
Gaberova, a beautician, previously hit headlines after telling customers she had no interest in politics.
Roussev, Dzhambazov and Ivanova are also charged with possession of false identity documents with improper intention under section 4 of the Identity Documents Act 2010.
Vanya Gaberova, 29 and 31-year-old Ivan Stoyanov appeared at the hearing via video links from prison
Fellow suspected spies (L-R) Orlin Roussev, 45, Katrin Ivanova, 31 and Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, were previously charged on February 11, 2023
Nick Price, Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: ‘The CPS has authorised a charge of conspiracy to conduct espionage against a sixth person suspected of spying for Russia.
‘The charges follow an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command.
‘Criminal proceedings against the six individuals are active and they each have the right to a fair trial.
‘It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.
‘The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider.’
A trial date for the five who were previously charged has been set for October 28, 2024 at the Central Criminal Court – also known as the Old Bailey – in London.
