Three Bulgarian nationals arrested in the U.K. on suspicion of spying for Russia

Three Bulgarian nationals have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia amid a major national security investigation conducted by the U.K., reports BBC News.

All three have been in custody since they were first detained in February. The defendants are:

• Orlin Roussev, 45 years old, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
• Bizer Dzhambazov, 41 years old, Harrow, northwest London
• Katrin Ivanova, 31 years old, Harrow, northwest London

They have been charged with possession of identity documents with “improper intention,” including passports and identity cards for the U.K., Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and the Czech Republic.

The defendants allegedly worked for Russian security services and knew that the documents were fake. According to the investigation, all three had lived and worked in the U.K. for several years.

According to BBC News, Roussev moved to the U.K. in 2009 and worked in financial services for three years. He then opened a business involved in signals intelligence. Roussev had previous experience running a business in Russia. He also stated that he worked as an advisor for Bulgaria’s energy ministry.

Dzhambazov and Ivanova’s neighbours say that the two were a couple. Dzhambazov was a driver for hospitals and Ivanova’s LinkedIn profile shows that she worked as a laboratory assistant for a private health business.

BBC News reports that the couple moved to the U.K. approximately 10 years ago and ran a community organization providing services for Bulgarian people, including familiarizing them with the “culture and norms of British society.”

Dzhambazov and Ivanova also worked for electoral commissions in London that facilitated voting in Bulgarian elections for Bulgarian citizens located in the U.K. According to their neighbours, investigators spent a significant amount of time searching the couple’s house in Harrow. The police were present at the house for around a week.

The defendants are set to go on trial in January, writes BBC News.