Trial of three ‘minions’ in spy ring for Russia heard of chaotic errors, tangled relationships, a cancer lie and a red buttonThree UK-based Bulgarians found guilty of spying for RussiaThe spymaster, the ringleader and the ‘minions’: who’s who of the spy ring trialIt began with a simple request, though it was written by one of the world’s most wanted men. “We’d be interested in a Bulgarian guy working for Bellingcat: Christo Grozev,” the author wrote at 7.46pm on 14 December 2020. Another message followed on Telegram: “Can we look into this guy or would it raise too many questions?” And so a spy ring of Bulgarians based in Britain but working for Russia began to form.The author was Jan Marsalek, a fugitive businessman accused of involvement in a €1.9bn fraud on the German payments company Wirecard – and an agent for Russia. Earlier that year he had fled to Moscow, and now he had time on his hands. The message’s recipient was Orlin Roussev, 47, an IT specialist and private investigato...
A spy trial in the UK revealed a Russian spy ring of UK-based Bulgarians, including Orlin Roussev, directed by fugitive Jan Marsalek, who surveilled investigative journalist Christo Grozev. The ring, composed of "minions," engaged in chaotic and amateurish plots involving surveillance, potential kidnapping, and murder, motivated by Putin's dislike of Grozev. The operation was marred by a love triangle, a fake cancer diagnosis, and ultimately, arrests and convictions.
