Six Bulgarians in the UK, recognized as Russian spies, are facing serious sentences, which will be pronounced on Monday at the Central Criminal Court, the BBC reported, quoted by the Bulgarian National Radio.
Orlin Rusev, Biser Dzhambazov, Katrin Ivanova, Tihomir Ivanchev, Ivan Stoyanov and Vanya Gaberova will be sentenced for their participation in a Russian spy ring run from a 33-room guesthouse in Great Yarmouth. Prosecutor Alison Morgan said double-digit sentences were appropriate for many of the defendants, who she said endangered lives and harmed national security.
Evidence presented to the court this week as part of the sentencing hearing revealed new details about the spy cell's activities, as well as the life of their intermediary with Russian intelligence, Jan Marsalek, who is in hiding.
Lawyers for all the Bulgarian citizens attempted to present mitigating circumstances for their clients. The cell's leader, Orlin Rusev, was said to have been hired by the CIA to organize a flight to evacuate Americans from Kabul in 2021. Katrin Ivanova was said to have been lied to and manipulated by her partner Biser Dzhambazov. Tihomir Ivanchev was described as the "ultimate servant and outsider" in the case. Ivan Stoyanov was said to have shown remorse and admitted that he had "acted selfishly".
But prosecutor Alison Morgan believes there is compelling evidence that everyone was clearly aware of what they were doing. She read testimony in court from victims of the spy ring's surveillance, including Bulgarian investigative journalist Hristo Grozev, who says it had a "profound and lasting impact" on his life and the lives of his family. Among the new details about Jan Marsalek was that he had undergone plastic surgery to change his appearance. Sentencing is expected on Monday.