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UK Sentences Bulgarian Man to Over 10 Years in Russian-Linked Espionage Case
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Orlin Roussev, a 47-year-old Bulgarian national living in the UK, was sentenced to 10 years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit espionage, Reuters reported on May 12.
The sentencing took place at a London court following an investigation into alleged surveillance activities linked to Russia.
According to Reuters, Roussev exchanged thousands of encrypted messages with Jan Marsalek, a former chief operating officer of the now-defunct German payments company Wirecard, who is currently wanted by German authorities on fraud and embezzlement charges. Marsalek disappeared in 2020 after Wirecard collapsed with a reported €1.9 billion (around $2.1 billion) missing from its accounts. He is believed to be hiding in Russia.
The messages between him and Roussev suggested that Roussev played a central role in coordinating a small group that monitored individuals of interest across Europe.
Roussev was one of six Bulgarian nationals sentenced in the case, which authorities say involved surveillance of journalists, dissidents, and Ukrainian soldiers training at a US military base in Germany. The total prison time handed down to the group was around 40 years.
Reuters highlights, while the unit was not found to be working directly for Russian intelligence, the court heard that their actions posed a potential risk to British national security. Authorities described the scale of their activity as extensive, with some operations involving attempts to intercept mobile phone signals at military sites.
Other members of the group received sentences ranging from six to ten years. Roussev’s deputy, Bizer Dzhambazov, was sentenced to 10 years and two months.
Previously, it was reported that the Security Service of Ukraine has uncovered a spy network operated by Hungarian military intelligence targeting the Ukrainian state.
