In a London courtroom, six Bulgarian nationals were sentenced to prison for being part of a secret Russian spy ring. The group was caught running an underground operation that felt more like a scene from a spy movie than real life — with fake passports, hidden cameras, secret names, and even a tangled love triangle.
The leader of the group, Orlin Roussev, was running operations from a run-down guesthouse in Great Yarmouth, a coastal town in eastern England. When police raided the property, they found what they called a “treasure trove” of spy gadgets — including hidden cameras tucked into objects like a rock, a Coke bottle, men’s ties, and even a Minions toy.
In court, the judge said it was obvious the group’s spying activities could have seriously hurt the U.K. and the people they targeted. Police said the entire spy operation was one of the largest and most dangerous ever discovered on British soil.
Roussev had given himself the nickname “Jackie Chan,” while his second-in-command, Biser Dzhambazov, used the name “Mad Max.” He called his group of spies “Minions,” referring to the yellow cartoon characters from the animated movie Despicable Me.
Dangerous Missions and Twisted Plots
The spy ring operated not just in the U.K., but also in Austria, Spain, Germany, and Montenegro. They used secret online chats to plan missions. Police found messages going back three years that revealed a range of disturbing plots.
One message included plans to use Vanya Gaberova as a “honeytrap” — meaning she would try to attract and trick a journalist. Another plot involved using a drone to drop pig’s blood on the Kazakhstan embassy in London. There were also discussions about gathering phone data from Ukrainian soldiers at a U.S. base in Germany.
In one of the most troubling messages, Roussev offered to help kidnap someone, drug them, and lock them up in a hidden cave. These plans showed just how dangerous the group was willing to be.
When police searched the homes of the group members in early 2023, they caught Dzhambazov in bed with two of the women in the group — Gaberova and Katrin Ivanova — revealing a complicated love triangle. Later in court, Gaberova said she was manipulated by Dzhambazov, who lied to her and claimed he was an Interpol officer with brain cancer. She also said she had been dealing with mental health problems.
Heavy Sentences Reflect Serious Crimes
After months of investigation, the six were brought to court. Roussev, Dzhambazov, and Ivan Stoyanov admitted they were guilty of spying and received prison terms of up to 10 years and 8 months. The other three — Tihomir Ivanchev, Katrin Ivanova, and Vanya Gaberova — were found guilty after a trial and received sentences ranging from 6 to 9 years.
The judge, Nicholas Hilliard, said the group had been “motivated by money.” In their chats, they talked about payments of up to 1 million euros, showing just how valuable their secret work was to Russian intelligence.
The head of Counter Terrorism Command, Dominic Murphy, said this was a very serious case. The spy ring was a real threat to individuals and national security. Their tactics — from secret identities to gadgets and secret messages — seemed straight out of a spy novel.
One journalist, Christo Grozev, shared how the group had spied on him and his family for months. He said it was terrifying to find out they had tracked their movements and read their messages. He described the experience as “deeply destabilizing.”
This shocking case shows how even in peaceful places, secret battles can be taking place in the shadows — with real people, real dangers, and very real consequences.
