Three suspected Russian spies arrested in Britain, BBC…

Two alleged Russian spies who have been charged in a major national security investigation lived in London suburbia for a decade, held down normal jobs and delighted their neighbours by bringing them cakes. 

Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, and Katrin Ivanova, 31, lived in Harrow, north London. He worked as a hospital driver and she as a lab assistant for a private healthcare business. 

They have now been charged under the National Secrets Act along with Orlin Roussev, 45, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. They are accused of possessing identity documents that they knew were fake. 

Dzhambazov and Ivanova ran a community organisation providing services to Bulgarian people, including familiarising them with the ‘culture and norms of British society’. Bulgarian state documents also list them as working for electoral commissions in London which facilitate voting in Bulgarian elections by citizens living abroad. 

The pair appeared alongside Roussev at the Old Bailey on July 31. A hearing for Ivanova was held at the Old Bailey today. They have yet to enter pleas to the charges and are remanded in custody.

Katrin Ivanova, 31, (left) of Harrow, London, is one of three Bulgarian nationals to have been charged. Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, (right) is said to be Ivanova’s partner and of the same London address

Ivanova and her partner ran a community organisation providing services to Bulgarian people, including familiarising them with the ‘culture and norms of British society’

Dzhambazov and Ivanova have been held and are suspected of working for Russia

According to the Met, five people were arrested in February and three of those were later charged under Section 4 of the Identity Documents Act 2010.

These documents allegedly included passports and identity cards for the UK, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and the Czech Republic. 

The investigation is being led by the Metropolitan Police’s Terrorism Command, Reuters reports.

Orlin Roussev, 45, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk claims to have previously worked as an adviser to the Bulgarian Energy Ministry

Roussev is said to have moved to the UK in 2009, originally spending three years as a technician in the financial services industry.

According to LinkedIn, he claims to have owned a business involved in signals intelligence, which involves the interception of communications or electronic signals.

He also says he has acted as an adviser to the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy. 

Neighbours of Dzhambazov and Ivanova told the BBC the two were a couple, with Dzhambazov working as a hospital driver and Ivanova as a lab assistant for a health company.

They added the couple seemed normal and had previously even brought them cakes. Dzhambazov’s Facebook shows he was a fan of British rock group Queen. 

The pair moved to the UK ten years ago and have previously worked in electoral commissions in London, which allow Bulgarian nationals living abroad to vote in Bulgarian elections.

According to Companies House, Dzhambazov has also had his own business named B.I Business Investment Ltd since 2016.

Dzhambazov and Ivanova ran a community organisation providing services to Bulgarian. The group was called Bulgarian Social Platform and this is believed to be their offices 

A photo of the offices of Bulgarian Social Platform, which Dzhambazov and Ivanova ran 

Ivanova appearing in a video promoting the services offered by the community group she ran with her partner 

Neighbours witnessed police officers searching their house for at least a week around the time of their detention. 

All three defendants are scheduled to go on trial in January at the Old Bailey. They have yet to enter pleas to the charges.

The police declined to comment on whether they were suspected of being Russian spies.

Britain has been sharpening its focus on external security threats and last month it passed a new national security law, aiming to deter espionage and foreign interference with updated tools and criminal provisions.

The government labeled Russia ‘the most acute threat’ to its security when the law was passed.

Dzhambazov Ivanova were both registered at the same address in Harrow, north London 

Roussev lived in his block of apartments in the seaside town of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk

Police have charged three Russians, who they say are GRU military intelligence officers, with the 2018 attempt to murder former double agent Sergei Skripal with the military-grade nerve agent Novichok. Two were charged in 2018 and the third in 2021.

Last year, Britain’s domestic spy chief said more than 400 suspected Russian spies had been expelled from Europe.

Britain has been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine since the Russian invasion last year and has imposed a range of sanctions on Russian officials and oligarchs.

Ivanova regularly appeared in Facebook photos promoting its services, which included teaching Bulgarians about the ‘culture and norms of British society’