Bulgarians accused of spying for Russia to appear in London court
Photo: Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
Five Bulgarian citizens accused of working for Russian intelligence in the UK will face trial at the end of 2024. According to Reuters, this was announced by the judge in London, Jeremy Baker.
Three men and two women are accused of conspiracy to gather information that is harmful to the security and interests of the state, during the period from August 30, 2020, to February 8, 2023.
All Russian agents were arrested by counter-terrorism police in February of this year. They appeared at the court hearing via video link and spoke only once, confirming their names.
Judge Jeremy Baker ruled that a separate case against three Russian agents, who are also charged with document identity fraud, should be considered simultaneously with the conspiracy case.
The judge preliminarily scheduled the trial, expected to last up to four months, to begin in October 2024.
Background
Recently, the Royal Prosecution Service of Britain reported that five Bulgarian citizens would face charges on suspicion of spying for the Russian Federation.
The Telegraph reported that three Bulgarians from the Russian spy network lived near the Northolt military facility in West London. They were previously arrested by British law enforcement.
The Spiegel stated that the former director of the payment company Wirecard, Jan Marsalek, is suspected of financing and leading a Russian intelligence network engaged in espionage in Britain.
Earlier reports indicated that the entire legal process would take about six weeks next year.
