Bulgarian spies often called ‘The Brunette Twins’ plotted elaborate honey lure scheme for Russia

Two Bulgarian spies known as “The Brunette Twins” – who toured Europe setting honey traps while plotting to kidnap opponents of Vladimir Putin – are facing jail.

Lab-assistant Katrin Ivanova, 33, and beautician Vanya Gaberova, 30, were part of a sophisticated Russian espionage ring controlled from a guest house in Great Yarmouth. They lived as if they were in a James Bond film, snooping on dissidents with secret cameras, attempting to lure investigative journalists with suggestive pictures and sharing the same spy boss lover. The Old Bailey was told members of the ring planned to manufacture sexual encounters with prominent targets.

Activities often involved surveillance, following people or finding out where they were and reporting back to Russia, the court heard. The ring carried out six operations over nearly three years “for the benefit of Russia, an enemy of the UK”.

Ivanova and Gaberova were convicted on Friday of spying, along with Gaberova’s ex-boyfriend, decorator Tihomir Ivanchev, 39. They face jail with Biser Dzhambazov, 43, who was arrested in bed with Gaberova – despite living with Ivanova. Dzhambazov, his spy master Orlin Roussev, 47, and another “minion” Ivan Stoyanov, 33, admitted espionage before the trial began.

They were directed by alleged Russian agent Jan Marsalek, 44; an Austrian businessman wanted by Interpol after the collapse of German payment processing firm Wirecard. Marsalek acted as a go-between for Russian intelligence and ringleader Roussev, based in a seaside hotel in Great Yarmouth, who received more than 200,000 euros (more than £165,600) to fund the spying activities.

Alison Morgan, KC, prosecuting, said “The Brunette Twins”, and the spies who worked with them, had put lives at risk.

“Between 2020 and 2023, these three defendants, together with a number of other people, spied for the benefit of Russia,” she said. “They sought to gather information for the benefit of Russia, an enemy of the UK, about various targets, both people and locations of particular interest to the Russian state.

“Their activities caused obvious and inevitable prejudice to the safety and interests of the UK. The defendants were sophisticated in their methodology, carrying out surveillance activity of individuals and places, manufacturing false identities and deploying advanced technology to acquire information.

“They all knew why they were being tasked to conduct the operations. Their activity was being undertaken for the direct or indirect benefit of Russia.”

One of the targets was Christo Grozev, an investigative journalist who linked the novichok poisonings in Salisbury with the Russian intelligence officers who planned it. Mr Grozev was followed to Vienna, Bulgaria and Valencia by Gaberova, Ivanova and Dzhambazov where he was speaking at a “Journalists Against Russian Aggression” conference.

Gaberova jumped into a cab behind Mr Grozev’s at Valencia airport and told the driver: “Follow that taxi.” After snooping on him at the conference, Gaberova set up the honey trap by sending Mr Grozev pictures of herself to his Facebook account. The ring also planned to make a pornographic film starring Gaberova for Mr Grozev to view online.

Roussev said in a series of messages said: “We can definitely record something for Pornhub too, that girl is real hot. She’s a swinger too.” He added: “Vanya is very very assertive and strongly independent, true sexy b****: to get him on board with the honey trap.”

In another operation, the ring attempted to gather the mobile numbers of US and Ukrainian military personnel at a base in Stuttgart, Germany. They bought four second hand cars to park outside the base which were to be filled with sophisticated data catching equipment and prepared to hide cameras in stones and bottles nearby.

The Patch Barracks facility was being used to train Ukrainian soldiers to shoot down Russian jets using the Patriot surface-to-air missile. Ivanova took videos of the facility showing the entrances and exits and the security measures around the perimeter.

Gaberova and Dzhambazov flew to Montenegro to spy on Kirill Kachur, who was employed by the Investigative Committee of Russia before leaving the country in 2021. The pair pretended to be a “playful couple” enjoying a game of badminton as they snooped on Mr Kachur at his villa.

Journalist Roman Dobrokhotov, who co-founded Russian magazine “The Insider”, was also targeted. Ivanova followed Mr Dobrokhotov on a flight to Berlin and was able to watch him so closely she could work out his phone PIN number.

Marsalek and Roussev discussed spraying him with ricin or acid to “burn him alive”. Roussev also came up with the idea of spraying the Kazakhstan embassy in London with blood in a fake protest. Gaberova and Dzhambazov were found in bed together when intelligence officers burst into Gaberova’s flat to arrest them on February 8 2023.

Dzhambazov was living with Ivanova at a flat in Harrow, northwest London, at the time. There, police found at least 30 burner phones, concealed cameras and GPS trackers. In a pink box inside a safe were two fake passports and two fake ID cards, next to Ivanova’s grandmother’s ring. The key to the safe was hidden in a Lego camper van in the flat.

Most of the mobiles were “Cubot phones” a Chinese brand which allows the IMEI number to be erased, meaning the phones cannot be tracked. Roussev organised the cell’s spying operations from The Haydee guest house in Great Yarmouth.

He called his room his “Indiana Jones cave” because it was crammed with the latest spying equipment. There were cameras hidden in locks, pinecones, hats, a purse, water bottles and a stuffed toy. Jurors were shown a Coke bottle, where the top and bottom unscrew for liquid to be added while a waterproof camera sits concealed under the label.

The ring had also bought two £400,000 “magic devices” – card readers which allow plastic hotel keys to be copied. At the hotel there was a camera stuffed in a ‘minion’ – the cartoon character from the ‘Despicable Me’ movie franchise.

In all, the ring had 221 mobile phones, 258 hard drives, 495 SIM cards, 33 audio recording devices, 55 recording devices, 11 drones, 16 radios, three IMSI grabbers, four Pineapple wi-fi eavesdropping devices and six programming devices. There were also 110 miscellaneous items including jammers, hacking software, RFID card readers and GPS trackers.

All three “minions” within a larger spying conspiracy, claimed to have been manipulated and had no understanding they were spying for Russia. Ivanchev, Gaberova and Ivanova accepted involvement in spying but denied understanding the full extent of their work.

Ivanova told jurors “All three of us have been used”, while Gaberova and Ivanchev both claimed Dzhambazov had told them he worked for Interpol. He told police his life in the UK was fine “then I met Vanya [Gaberova], and my life was f*****.

“I thought I was working for Interpol, like in the movies and towards the end I started to doubt that which is why I tried to pull away to be honest.”

Ivanova, of Harrow, Gaberova, of Camden, northwest London, and Ivanchev, of Erith, denied conspiring to gather information that would be useful to an enemy between August 30 2020 and February 8 2023, but were found guilty.

Ivanova also denied but was convicted of possessing 18 false identity documents including Bulgarian passport, French passport, Italian residence permit, Spanish residence permit, Czech identity card, Czech driving license, Czech passport, and a British passport.

The trio of spies will be sentenced alongside Roussev, of Great Yarmouth, Dzhambazov, of Harrow, and Stoyanov, of Greenford, west London, at a later date.