5 Bulgarians have been charged with conspiracy to conduct espionage, mentioned the Crown Prosecution Service.

The 5 — Orlin Roussev, 45, Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, Katrin Ivanova, 31, Ivan Stoyanov, 31, and Vanya Gaberova, 29 — have been charged with “conspiring to Gather Info Meant to be immediately or not directly helpful to an enemy “.

4 of the alleged spies stay in London whereas the fifth, Roussev, lives in jap England within the coastal city of Nice Yarmouth.

The defendants allegedly labored in an operational spy cell for the Russian safety companies, which included conducting surveillance on targets.

They’re accused of engaged on lively operations within the UK and Europe, and amassing and passing info to the Russian state.

All 5 have been arrested earlier this yr by counter-terrorism detectives on suspicion of an offense below the Official Secrets and techniques Act.

Roussev, Dzhambazov, and Ivanova have been indicted in February for possessing false id paperwork.

Throughout a courtroom look in July, prosecutors mentioned they’d 34 ID paperwork, a few of which have been suspected to be false, from the UK, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece and the Czech Republic.

The 5 suspects are scheduled to look on the Westminster Magistrates’ Courtroom in London on September 26.

Nick Value, head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)’s Particular Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, mentioned: “The CPS has allowed costs of conspiracy to commit espionage towards three males and two girls suspected of spying for Russia.

“Orlin Roussev, 45, Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, Katrin Ivanova, 31, Ivan Stoyanov, 31, and Vanya Gaberova, 29, can be charged with conspiracy to gather info meant to immediately or not directly profit an enemy. for the aim of harming the protection and curiosity of the state between August 30, 2020 and February 8, 2023.

“Roussev, Dzhambazov and Ivanova have been beforehand charged on February 11, 2023 with possessing false id paperwork with improper intent below part 4 of the Identification Paperwork Act 2010.”

Roussev, 45, is alleged to have run operations from the UK and served as a hyperlink to intelligence recipients.

He has a historical past of enterprise dealings in Russia, transferring to the UK in 2009. He then spent three years working in a technical position in monetary companies.

His LinkedIn profile says he later owned a enterprise concerned in sign intelligence.

In Harrow, former neighbors described Dzhambazov and Ivanova as a pair. Dzhambazov is described as a hospital driver and Ivanova describes herself on her LinkedIn profile as a laboratory assistant in a personal well being enterprise.