A London court sentenced the leader of a spy network that operated on the territory of Great Britain in the interests of the Russian Federation. He was sentenced to almost 11 years in prison. About this informs Reuters.
Orlin Rusev, 47, was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to spy for Russia. The investigation gathered evidence of guilt, in particular, thousands of messages between Rusev and Yan Marsalek, a former top manager of the Wirecard company, who, hiding abroad, coordinated the actions of a group of Bulgarian citizens.
Judge Nicholas Hilliard emphasized that Rusev’s actions posed a serious threat to the national security of Great Britain. Rusev was one of six Bulgarian nationals involved in a spy ring that monitored journalists, political opponents and Ukrainian military personnel who were training at a US base in Germany.
His deputy, 44-year-old Biser Jambazov, was sentenced to 10 years and 2 months in prison. Another participant – Ivan Stoyanov – also admitted his guilt. The British Prosecutor’s Office reported that the espionage activity was not conducted directly under the leadership of the Russian special services, but mainly for a financial reward.
The Russian embassy in London did not comment on the case, although the Kremlin usually denies involvement in espionage.
