“Norfolk Hotel Spy: The Gadget-Hoarding Operative Who Claimed to be ‘Q’ from James Bond”

9 January 2025, 23:11 | Updated: 9 January 2025, 23:30

Orlin Roussev, who acknowledged being the leader of a Russia-based espionage network in the UK, likened himself to James Bond’s character ‘Q’ while he was hiding in a coastal hotel, stockpiling surveillance devices.

The spy resided in a guesthouse situated along the coast of Great Yarmouth, utilizing it to conceal an extensive array of gadgets intended for kidnapping and espionage tasks throughout Europe.

According to court statements, Orlin Roussev, 46, boasted to his handler about identifying with the James Bond character ‘Q’ as he assembled ‘toys’ employed in Russian spy operations.

It is believed that he followed directives from an Austrian individual named Jan Marsalek. The duo is also connected to a ‘honeytrap’ scheme targeting investigative journalist Christo Grozev back in 2021.

Roussev has accepted guilt for managing the spy network, whereas three other individuals contest the allegations against them.

The Old Bailey heard that the Norfolk hotel where Roussev was lodging, which he likened to an ‘Indiana Jones warehouse’, housed a ‘huge’ quantity of gadgets and technology intended for ‘covert surveillance’, as reported by Sky News.

The Haydee guesthouse on Prince’s road, where Roussev was residing, was categorized by prosecuting attorney Dan Pawson-Pounds as a ‘standard seaside hotel’ featuring 33 rooms.

Within three of the rooms lay a “substantial collection of IT and surveillance apparatus”, and Roussev utilized two storage areas along with an office to stow away his observation gear.

Officers discovered thousands of items in the flat, including a cap fitted with a concealed camera and a plastic Coke bottle containing a hidden waterproof camera concealed behind its label.

Additional findings included car key cloning tools, necklaces embedding hidden cameras, and water bottles with video recording devices capable of linking to cell phones, alongside wearable technologies like watches, sunglasses, pens, and ties.

The jury was informed that Operation Skirp recovered 3,540 pieces of evidence from several locations, encompassing 1,650 digital items.

Members of the jury were presented with two “IMSI grabbers” – a £120,000 black metal apparatus capable of identifying and capturing mobile phone numbers from the vicinity.

The operatives intended to deploy the two ‘law enforcement grade’ devices near a US military installation in Stuttgart, Germany, to surveil Ukrainian soldiers undergoing training on Patriot missile defense systems, according to the prosecution.

Had they not been apprehended, they could have traced the Ukrainians back to their combat zone to determine the positions from where missiles were being launched.

Other purported members of the group reportedly included Katrin Ivanova, 33, a laboratory assistant from Harrow, North London, Vanya Gaberova, 30, a beautician hailing from Acton, West London, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, a painter-decorator residing in Enfield.

Both Roussev and Biser Dzhambazov have admitted to conspiring to gather intelligence valuable to an adversary.

Dzhambazov, 43, is also believed to be a participant in the espionage network.

Gaberova, Ivanova, and Ivanchev all reject the allegations. All five alleged conspirators are Bulgarian nationals with ‘settled status’ in the UK.

Jan Marsalek and Roussev are additionally charged with a ‘honeytrap’ spying scheme, wherein they purportedly deliberated on arranging a ‘true sexy b**ch’ in a honeytrap operation against an award-winning UK-based journalist known for covering Russian intelligence activities, as disclosed by the Old Bailey.

The Bulgarian-led collective is alleged to have conducted surveillance on Russian dissidents, journalists, and various targets across Europe, even entertaining discussions about the potential kidnapping or assassination of one such target.

“Rupert Ticz”, otherwise known as Austrian Jan Marsalek and the group’s ‘Russian spymaster’, exchanged numerous messages with leading spy Orlin Roussev regarding an operation targeting investigative journalist Christo Grozev in 2021, according to the Old Bailey.

Throughout their encrypted conversations, the two discussed orchestratinga fabricated affair involving Mr. Grozev, 55, and beautician Vanya Gaberova, 30, based in London.

Jurors were informed that Gaberova had traveled to Valencia, Spain, as part of a team to surveil Mr. Grozev during a conference held at the Palace Hotel, which was also attended by Eliot Higgins, the founder of Bellingcat.

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The case, characterized by “high-level espionage laced with significant deceit”, was orchestrated by Roussev and Biser Dzhambazov, both of whom have admitted guilt to conspiracy to spy.

Three additional defendants, Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, contest the allegations. Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC asserted that the group acted “in a manner detrimental to the safety and security of the UK”, collecting intelligence that would be “particularly advantageous to Russia”.

The court was informed that this constituted one of six espionage endeavors spanning locations like London, Vienna, Valencia, Montenegro, Stuttgart, and others from August 2020 to February 2023.

Jurors learned that the two female defendants were purportedly utilized as “honeytrap” agents, identified as “sexual bait” to obtain information from targets. Grozev’s activities included revealing Russian connections to the 2018 Salisbury poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, along with the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014.

The espionage team allegedly monitored him across Vienna, Valencia, and Montenegro, contemplating actions such as robbing him, destroying his property, abducting him, or even assassinating him.

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC informed jurors that, in addition to attempting to “befriend” Mr. Grozev, Gaberova had been engaged in capturing surveillance images of him at the conference.

The second operation targeted Roman Dobrokhotov, 41, a UK-based Russian dissident and the founder of The Insider, in November 2022. Dobrokhotov escaped Russia following his investigative work making him a target for the Kremlin.

The third operation, occurring in November 2021, concentrated on Bergey Ryskaliyev, a former Kazakh politician granted asylum in the UK. The group allegedly targeted him to gain favor with Kazakhstan on behalf of Russia.

A fourth operation included staging a fictitious protest outside the Kazakh embassy in London in September 2022. The objective was to generate fabricated intelligence for Kazakhstan’s authorities to gain their trust and enhance Russia’s influence.

The fifth operation focused on Patch Barracks, a US military installation in Stuttgart, Germany, thought by the group to be training Ukrainian soldiers amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The defendants purportedly employed sophisticated technology to collect sensitive intelligence, including devices capable of compromising soldiers’ mobile phones.

The sixth operation targeted Kirill Kachur, a former member of Russia’s Investigative Committee, who absconded from the country in 2021 and was labeled a “foreign agent” by Russia. Kachur was under surveillance by the group while in Montenegro from September 2021 to January 2022.

Prosecutors disclosed that the group utilized an extensive array of advanced espionage tools, including 221 mobile devices, 495 SIM cards, 33 audio recording instruments, 55 visual recording devices, 11 drones, eavesdropping apparatus, jammers, and hacking software.

Much of this equipment was discovered at Roussev’s boarding house in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, where he resided with his spouse and stepson. Additionally, the operation reportedly employed 75 passports and 91 credit cards under a variety of aliases.

Financing for the group was provided by Jan Marsalek, also known as “Rupert Ticz”, identified as their Russian spymaster. Marsalek allegedly funneled hundreds of thousands of pounds into the endeavor, with Roussev delivering £204,000 to Dzhambazov for distribution among the network.

Details regarding the defendants’ romantic liaisons were revealed in court, highlighting Dzhambazov, 34, as being involved with both Ivanova, a lab assistant, and Gaberova, a beautician.

Gaberova previously had a relationship with Ivanchev, a painter and decorator from Enfield. Ivanova denies possession of 18 counterfeit identification documents, including passports from various European nations.

Morgan stated: “By collecting this intelligence and relaying it to the Russian state, the defendants endangered numerous lives.” She remarked it was “unrealistic to claim” the defendants were oblivious to the risks or the importance of their actions.

The trial is ongoing at the Old Bailey.