As part of an investigation by British authorities, three alleged Russian spies, two men and a woman, have been arrested, the BBC reported Tuesday. It concerns three Bulgarian nationals who would work for the Russian security services.
They were identified as Orlin Roussev, 45, from Norfolk, Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, and Katrin Ivanova, 31, both from Harrow, northwest London. They were detained in February by elements of the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism unit, which is responsible for investigating espionage cases. The detention took place under official secrecy law.
They were accused of being in possession of false identity documents with “improper intent”. The documents include passports, identity cards from the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece and the Czech Republic, the BBC writes, noting that the three alleged spies are due to appear in court in January. The detainees have not yet defended the charges against them.
In the #UKthree citizens of #Bulgaria were accused of espionage #Russia
They were arrested in February and have been detained ever since. They have all lived in the UK for many years.
The Russian spies were found to have forged documents from nine different countries:… pic.twitter.com/U86T3Aq7Wb
– NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 15, 2023
According to the British broadcaster, the three alleged Russian spies have been living in the UK for several years and have held various jobs.
For example, Orlin Roussev refers to the BBC, came to the United Kingdom in 2009 and worked for three years as a technician in the financial services industry. It is also mentioned that he has a history of doing business with Russia and that he worked as a consultant in the Ministry of Energy in Bulgaria. The LinkedIn profile indicates that you had a business in the field of interception of communications or electronic signals.
For the BBC, locals in Harrow describe Bizer Dzhambazov and Katrin Ivanova – who moved to the UK about a decade ago – as a couple. Dzhambazov is described as a driver who works in hospitals and Ivanova is a lab assistant at a private health company, according to her LinkedIn profile.
The two run an association that supports the Bulgarian community and integrates them into “the culture and norms of British society,” the BBC writes.
Source: DN
