Bulgarian in Camden to be charged with spying for Russia

The story became headline news when three Bulgarian nationals, two in Harrow and one in Great Yarmouth, became the subject of a national security investigation into possible breaches of official secrets law.

Now more suspects have come to light, including a Bulgarian national living in Churchway, Camden.

The Crown Prosecution Service said this week: “The CPS has authorised a charge of conspiracy to conduct espionage against three men and two women suspected of spying for Russia.”

This includes Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, and Katrin Ivanova, 31, both of the same address in Harrow.

Vanya Gaberova, 29, whose address was given as Churchway in Camden – near Euston station – has also been identified along as one of the people to be charged. She is listed on Companies House as a director of VG Pretty Woman Ltd, a beauty salon in Churchfield Road, Acton, west London.

Others are Ivan Stoyanov, 31, of Greenford, and Orlin Roussev, 45, of Great Yarmouth.

• READ MORE: 'Of course it’s weird' - Harrow reacts to 'media frenzy' after Russian spy ring claim
   

The CPS says the five will be charged with “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” between August 30, 2020 and February 8, 2023.

Roussev, Dzhambazov, and Ivanova were previously charged on February 11, 2023, with possession of false identity documents with improper intention.

The five Bulgarian national defendants will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (September 26).

Westminster Magistrates' Court (Image: PA)

Nick Price, the head of the CPS crime and counter terrorism division, said: “Criminal proceedings against the five individuals are active and they each have the right to a fair trial.

“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.

“The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider.”

When the story of a ‘Russian spy ring’ operating from Harrow first broke, locals were astounded by the media attention as journalists descended on the area.

Simon Corsini, the owner of Gino’s Café in High Road, Harrow, said the two Harrow suspects “only came in a handful of times”, keeping to themselves.

Simon Corsini, of Gino’s Cafe in Harrow (Image: Joseph Reaidi)

He said the two did not stand out, adding: “You get all sorts of life here. I was 14 years of age when I first came to the area and it has changed. We get so much immigration – I’m of Italian descent – and everyone blends in.

“So when these guys [the spy suspects] came in, they didn’t look any different."

One shopkeeper at an off licence mentioned that it was a “media frenzy”, with many journalists coming in and asking if he wanted to speak.