British counterterrorism police have charged a sixth individual, Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, in connection with an ongoing investigation into an alleged spy ring operating in the UK under the direction of the Russian state. Ivanchev, a 38-year-old Bulgarian national, was arrested in February, following the apprehension of five fellow Bulgarians, Orlin Roussev, Bizer Dzhambazov, Katrin Ivanova, Ivan Stoyanov, and Vanya Gaberova, last year. The charges include “conspiring to collect information intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state.” The prosecution asserts that the group was part of an organized network conducting surveillance and hostile actions on behalf of Russia against specific targets, potentially for abductions, between August 2020 and February 2023.
Cmdr. Dominic Murphy, the head of the Metropolitan Police Service’s counterterrorism command, stated that the sixth suspect was identified and arrested following the previous five arrests in the investigation. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is working on the case, and the alleged spy ring’s activities have been outlined during court hearings. Interestingly, Jan Marsalek, the fugitive Austrian businessman and former COO of Wirecard, is also named in connection with the case. Though not charged, Marsalek is suspected of fleeing to Russia in 2020 after Wirecard announced the disappearance of $1.9 billion from its accounts.
