Suspected Russian Spies Held in Major UK Security Investigation

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Facts

  • The BBC has revealed that three Bulgarian nationals have been arrested and charged for possessing identity documents with "improper intention," having been held in custody since February — reportedly on suspicion of being spies for Russia.1
  • The three alleged spies are named Orlin Roussev, Bizer Dzhambazov, and Katrin Ivanova. While five were initially detained in February, only three have been charged.2
  • The BBC has reported that the three held identity cards and passports from the UK, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and the Czech Republic.3
  • The Metropolitan Police have declined to comment on whether the three are suspected of being spies, but have confirmed that five were arrested under the Official Secrets Act earlier this year and that the three appeared at London's Old Bailey Court in July.4
  • Ivanova's LinkedIn profile describes her as a medical laboratory assistant at a private health firm, while Roussev's LinkedIn profile claims he previously advised Bulgaria's Ministry of Energy. Dzhambazov was believed to have been a driver for hospitals.5
  • The further two individuals arrested in February were released on bail the same month, and remain under investigation. Ken McCallum, the director general of MI5, stated during his most recent annual threat update that the agency was working "intensively" to prohibit "Russian covert action."6
  • The Russian and Bulgarian embassies are yet to comment on the allegations.7

Sources: 1BBC News, 2The Guardian, 3LBC, 4Reuters, 5Evening Standard, 6Independent, and 7TASS.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Politico. Following last year's mass exodus of Russian intelligence influence out of Europe, Moscow is attempting to aggressively rebuild its network in the West. European agencies continue to respond to this threat and are keeping their guard up as tensions with Russia remain at their highest since the end of the Cold War.
  • Narrative B, as provided by The Guardian. It's unknown whether the West is getting better at detecting Russian spies, or whether Russia is simply spying more. Despite recent European success, it's agreed that the Kremlin still poses a larger intelligence threat than any other country. It still remains a legitimate possibility that Western knowledge of Russia's spy network is merely the tip of an extensive, and effective, iceberg.