Sixth person charged with spying for Russia in UK

A sixth person has been charged with being part of a suspected Russian spy ring operating in the UK.

Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, a 38-year-old Bulgarian national, from Acton, west London, was arrested earlier this month and will appear in court on Wednesday.

He is accused of "conspiring to collect information intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy".

Five other Bulgarian nationals are due to go on trial in October after being charged with the same offence.

Orlin Roussev, 46, from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, Bizer Dzhambazov 43, and Katrin Ivanova, 32, of Harrow, north-west London, Ivan Stoyanov, 32, of Greenford, west London, and Vanya Gaberova, 29, of Euston, London, were arrested in February 2023.

It is alleged surveillance was carried out on people and places targeted by Russia between August 2020 and February 2023.

The charge faced by Mr Ivanchev alleges he acted with the five other defendants, a person named as Jan Marsalek and others unknown.

It says they"conspired… to obtain, collect, record, publish or communicate documents or information which was calculated to be, or might be intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state".

Mr Ivanchev is listed as the owner of a London decorating business.

Commander Dominic Murphy, from the the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, said he was "was identified and arrested as a result of inquiries made following the previous five arrests in this investigation".

Police said he was bailed after his initial arrest on 7 February and charged on Tuesday.

He is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

The other five accused were remanded in custody after appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in September, and are due to stand trial at the Old Bailey.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68419311