A RUSSIAN spymaster who ran an espionage ring from a British guest house boasted of using twin “killer sexy brunettes” to target a journalist, the Old Bailey heard.
Orlin Roussev, 46, was trying to find out how reporter Christo Grozev had unmasked the Salisbury Novichok poisoners, by stealing his laptop.
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He allegedly sent Katrin Ivanova, 33, a lab assistant from Harrow, North London, and Vanya Gaberova, 30, a beautician from Acton, West London, on the mission to a conference in Spain.
They were accompanied, it is claimed, by Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, who was living with Ivanova but having an affair with Gaberova.
Mr Grozev had identified the Russian agents linked to the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury and that of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2020.
Roussev ran a spy ring from a guest house in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and took instructions from his handler, Jan Marsalek, an Austrian.
On September 12, 2021, Roussev reported to Marsalek on the encrypted Telegram app the operation to follow Grozev from Vienna to Valencia “with the couple and the ground team” had “worked flawlessly”, the court heard.
Joking about the Novichok poisoning of Navalny, he added: “Feels like we must poison him next just to live up to past stories. Ideally using his underwear or his cap.”
Roussev later added: “I have twins on the surveillance team.
“One of the killer sexy brunettes will enter the conference.”
But he later reported: “Grozev and the people they meet, nobody leaves the laptop bag alone.”
Roussev and Dzhambazov have admitted conspiracy to collect information useful to an enemy.
Gaberova and Ivanova both deny the charges.
All are Bulgarian nationals with settled UK status. The trial continues.
