UK-based spy ring passed secrets to Russia and risked many lives, court told

A UK-based spy ringing passed secrets to Russia for astir 3 years, endangering the nationalist involvement and putting “many lives astatine risk”, a tribunal has heard.

Bulgarian nationals Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, were allegedly portion of a radical which carried retired surveillance connected opponents of the Russian state, adjacent discussing kidnapping oregon sidesplitting 1 of them.

The ringing spied connected a US airbase successful Germany wherever Ukrainian troops were said to beryllium trained, and attempted to curry favour from Kazakhstan by staging a fake objection extracurricular its embassy, jurors heard.

There was treatment astir deploying the 2 pistillate defendants arsenic “honeytrap” agents, arsenic activities spanned London, Vienna, Valencia, Montenegro and Stuttgart, the Old Bailey was told.

Opening the proceedings connected Thursday, authoritative Alison Morgan KC told jurors: “They were targeting radical and places wherever the accusation that they obtained would beryllium of peculiar usage to Russia.

“It was highly delicate information. By gathering the accusation and passing it connected to the Russian state, the defendants were putting galore lives astatine risk.

“By conducting enactment of this type, planned connected UK soil, these defendants were acting successful a mode that was prejudicial to the information and interests of the UK.”

Hundreds of “sophisticated” devices were utilized to stitchery intelligence, including hidden bugs and jammers, jurors heard.

Among the spy kit were 33 audio devices, 55 ocular signaling devices, 221 mobile telephone phones, 495 SIM cards, 11 drones, 75 passports and 91 slope cards successful assorted names, Ms Morgan said.

Hundred of thousands of pounds were channelled into the ringing via their Russian spymaster “Rupert Ticz”, said to beryllium Austrian nationalist Jan Marsalek, the tribunal heard.

The spy ringing included 2 much defendants, Orlin Roussev and Biser Dzhambazov, who person pleaded blameworthy to espionage charges and judge having fake individuality documents, the tribunal was told.

Ms Morgan said determination were six spying operations which progressive “high level espionage with precocious levels of deceit” which were “extremely risky” for those involved.

They included getting adjacent to their targets, filming them, and adjacent envisaging nonstop contact, by deploying the pistillate defendants arsenic intersexual bait to seizure much information, jurors heard.

Ms Morgan told jurors: “It was precocious hazard and it was highly sophisticated. The prosecution alleges that it is fanciful to suggest that immoderate of these defendants were ignorant arsenic to wherefore they were doing what they were doing.”

The archetypal operation, betwixt September and November 2021, targeted Bellingcat investigative writer Christo Grozev, 64, whose enactment connected Russian affairs included uncovering Russian links to the 2018 Salisbury onslaught and the downing of a Malaysia Airlines level successful July 2014.

Bulgarian Grozev was tracked crossed Vienna, successful Austria, Valencia, successful Spain, and Montenegro, but lone recognised Gaberova arsenic she had sent him a Facebook request, jurors heard.

In a Telegram chat, the Russian cause and Roussev discussed placing a spy adjacent to him connected a formation from Vienna to Valencia.

Among the options discussed were robbing him, burning his property, kidnapping him and taking him to Moscow, infiltrating Bellingcat and adjacent sidesplitting him, jurors were told.

The 2nd cognition successful November 2022 focused connected UK-based Russian dissident Roman Dobrokhotov.

Jurors heard helium is an investigative writer and laminitis of The Insider, a media organisation which was formerly based successful Russia, earlier helium fled the country.

The 3rd cognition was connected Kazakhstan erstwhile person Bergey Ryskaliyev, who fled to the UK and was granted exile status.

The targeting of the governmental dissident successful November 2021 would person helped cultivate relations betwixt Russia and Kazakhstan, it was claimed.

The 4th cognition progressive staging a fake objection extracurricular the Kazakh Embassy successful September 2022, to make a pretence that the spies had genuine quality astir those liable to walk connected to Kazakhstan quality services to further curry favour, jurors heard.

This cognition was conducted with a antheral called Ivan Stoyanov, jurors were told.

The 5th cognition acrophobic Patch Barracks, a US subject airbase successful Stuttgart, Germany, successful 2022.

At the time, the defendants were said to person believed the basal was being utilized to bid Ukrainian soldiers, it was alleged.

Ms Morgan said the defendants were utilizing “highly blase technology” to stitchery delicate quality from the base.

The sixth cognition targeted Russian lawyer Kirill Kachur erstwhile helium was spending clip successful Montenegro betwixt September 2021 and January 2022.

The tribunal heard Mr Kachur had been designated a “foreign agent” by Russia successful November 2023 and was different dissident, jurors heard.

Jurors were told that Dzhambazov, 43, was successful a narration with some Ivanova and Gaberova, with the second formerly progressive with Ivanchev.

Ms Morgan said what the defendants did was not successful dispute, and invited jurors to see wherefore they were doing it, what they knew and what they intended erstwhile they passed accusation “back on the line”.

The defendants person denied a complaint of conspiracy to spy betwixt August 30 2020 and February 8 2023.

Ivanova has denied a 2nd complaint of possession of mendacious individuality documents with improper volition nether conception 4 of the Identity Documents Act 2010.

At the clip of the alleged offences, Ivanchev was surviving successful Acton, westbound London, Ivanova was surviving successful Harrow, north-west London, and Gaberova successful Euston, northbound London.

Mr Justice Hilliard adjourned the proceedings until Monday.