Three ‘Russian spies’ arrested after major UK national security investigation: Reports

Three suspected Russian spies have been arrested and charged in the United Kingdom after a major national security investigation, British media reported on Tuesday (August 15). According to BBC, all three defendants have been in detention since February.

What do we know about the suspected spies?

All three alleged spies are said to have been working for the Russian security services and were identified as Bulgarian nationals. They were reportedly arrested earlier this year under the Official Secrets Act by counter-terrorism detectives from the Metropolitan Police, which deals with espionage cases in the UK.

The BBC report identified the three suspects as Orlin Roussev (45), Bizer Dzhambazov (41), and Katrin Ivanova (31). The trio has also been charged with possessing identity documents with “improper intention”, and are alleged to have had these knowing they were fake.

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They had passports, identity cards and other documents for the UK, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and the Czech Republic, said the BBC report.

Alleged ‘Russian spies’ have lived in the UK ‘for years’

All three are said to have lived in the UK for several years and held a number of different jobs. They all lived in suburban locations, as per British media reports. Roussev was said to have some business dealings in Russia and moved to the UK in 2009.

The 45-year-old previously worked a technical role in financial services and later owned a business involved in signals intelligence that also included interception of communications or electronic signals, reported BBC. Roussev’s online LinkedIn profile also indicates that he once acted as an adviser to the Bulgarian ministry of energy.

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Citing former neighbours of Dzhambazov and Ivanova in Harrow, the report said that they are a couple. The duo reportedly moved to the UK, around 10 years ago and ran a community organisation that provided services for Bulgarian people, including familiarising them with the “culture and norms of British society”.

Bulgarian state documents online also show that they have previously worked for electoral commissions in London. Around the supposed couple’s home in Harrow, neighbours have reported that the detectives spent a long time gathering evidence with a visible police presence for more than a week, according to the BBC.

What now?

The trio’s case is set to go on trial at the Old Bailey in London in January 2024. As of now, none of them has entered a plea to the allegations against them, according to British media reports.

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While the counter-terrorism police have publicly noted the rise in time spent on suspected state threats and espionage, especially relating to Russia, the officials are yet to comment on this particular case.

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