Six Bulgarians were sentenced to long prison terms for surveillance in the Kremlin in the UK and throughout Europe.
During a long trial in London, Old Bailey Court heard that the cell had paid a lot for their service, including monitoring two journalists who attacked the nerve agents of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny and Sergei Skripal.
The sentencing judge said the organization's activities pose serious risks to the UK's national security.
Ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison. His deputy, Biser Dzhambazov, 44, was sentenced to 10 years and two months.
Katrin Ivanova, a former partner of Dzhambazov, was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison. Three others – Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, Ivan Stoyanov, 33, and Vanya Gaberova, 30, were sentenced to six to eight years in prison.
Roussev, Dzhambazov and Stoyanov all pleaded guilty to the spy charges, while the other three were convicted at the trial in March.
Prosecutors told the court that they had operated in the UK, Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro.
They target investigative journalists Chriso Grozev and Roman Dobrokhotov, as well as Russian dissidents, politicians and Ukrainian soldiers who train at German military bases.
The case against them was described as the “largest” foreign intelligence operation in the UK and focused on their six missions.
It first brought up the internal operation of Russian-operated spy cell in the British Criminal Court – revealing their thousands of information organizing surveillance, photos and videos of targets and talking about plans for kidnapping and killing.
Evidence presented to the court this week also revealed new details about Jan Marsalek, a fugitive overseas who directed the Russian intelligence services.
Austrian Marsalek is currently wanted in Germany for fraud charges related to financial services company Wirecard. He is believed to have been hiding in Moscow.
The court heard the spy ring call itself a “slave”, inspired by the yellow deputy of the little person Gru in the despicable children's film franchise.
The organization also frequently mentions the Russian GRU agency – its military intelligence agency in telegram messages.
Police raided the Norfolk Hotel in 2023 and discovered a “treasure house” gadget that included a small toy with a camera in 2023.
Nicholas Hilliard picked Roussev out in his verdict on Monday, but said everyone was “motivated by the money.” The gang discussed a sum of up to €1 million (£840,000) to prove their “value” to Russia's secret activities.
Judge Hilliard said planning of espionage operations based on Britain was a “very serious crime” and “destroyed the status of the country and its allies”.
“For journalists…there is a destruction of freedom of the press, which is one of our core democratic values,” he added.
Russia's embassy in London did not respond to the case. The Kremlin has previously rejected espionage charges.
The spy's conspiracy was sentenced to 14 years in prison, but Rusev, dzhambazov and Stoyanov received some honors for their guilty pleas.
By August 2025, Roussev was ordered to pay £180,768 in frank gains.
Meanwhile, Gaberova's sentence was reduced to six years, eight months and three weeks after remission.
Her lawyer, Anthony Metzer KC, said she was “under control and coerced by Mr. Dunzhambazov,” who was her lover, while also involved in Ivanova.
The court was told Gaberova was diagnosed with depression, panic disorder, claustrophobia and anxiety.
The Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Command said the case was an “obvious example” of growing state espionage.
Commander Dominic Murphy said, “Highlighting a relatively new phenomenon in which some states 'outsource espionage”.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis said: “These substantive judgments should give a clear warning to anyone seeking to threaten our security, harm the UK and harm the safety of the public.”
