Leader of Russian spy ring jailed in UK for nearly 11 years

The leader of a British-based Russian spy ring which prosecutors said carried out surveillance for the Kremlin was sentenced in a London court on May 12 to nearly 11 years in prison, as his five team members were jailed for a total of about 40 years.

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LONDON –

Orlin Roussev, 47, pleaded guilty before trial to one count of conspiracy to spy for Russia after police found thousands of messages between him and Wirecard fugitive Jan Marsalek, who directed the unit of Bulgarian nationals from overseas.

Judge Nicholas Hilliard sentenced Roussev to 10 years and eight months in prison, telling him that the operations he had directed posed a serious risk to Britain's national security.

Roussev is one of six Bulgarians convicted over their roles in the team directed by Marsalek to carry out surveillance on journalists, dissidents and Ukrainian soldiers being trained at a US military base in Germany.

Three of the group were found guilty in March after a trial, while Roussev, his deputy Bizer Dzhambazov, 44, and a third man – Ivan Stoyanov, 33 – pleaded guilty last year.