Three Bulgarian nationals based in the United Kingdom have been found guilty of spying for Russia by a London jury, carrying out surveillance on Kremlin opponents across Europe. The trio engaged in surveillance and intelligence operations over three years, led by a ringleader known as “the Minions” in reference to the movie Despicable Me. They were found to have worked for the Russian intelligence service GRU and face up to 14 years in prison.
Their leader, Orlin Roussev, received funds to finance the spying activities from a wanted Austrian businessman believed to be in Russia. The group was tasked with spying on Ukrainian soldiers in Germany, journalists, and dissidents, including a plan to drop fake blood on the Kazakhstan Embassy in London. Police discovered sophisticated spy devices hidden in everyday objects in the group’s operations centre in Great Yarmouth.
The defendants, involved in a complex love triangle, claimed to have been deceived and manipulated by their ringleader. They are scheduled to be sentenced in May, facing a maximum of 14 years in prison. The head of London police’s Counter Terrorism Command described the operation as spying on an “almost industrial scale” on behalf of Russian intelligence services. The trial revealed the extent of their activities, which included targeting individuals across Europe on behalf of Russian intelligence.
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image associated with the presented article. Due to copyright reasons, we are unable to use the original images. However, you can still enjoy the accurate and up-to-date content and information provided.
