Three individuals have been found guilty of spying for Russia in a sophisticated espionage operation orchestrated from a seaside guesthouse in Great Yarmouth. The case, described by authorities as one of the most significant spying investigations in the UK in two decades, exposed a network of operatives gathering intelligence for the Russian intelligence service, GRU.
The ‘Minions’ Spy Ring
Dubbed ‘the Minions’—a reference to the yellow sidekicks in the Despicable Me films—the three convicted spies worked under the direction of Russian handlers to conduct surveillance, gather intelligence, and interfere in Western affairs.
The convicted individuals are:
- Katrin Ivanova, 33, a lab assistant from Harrow, north London
- Vanya Gaberova, 30, a beautician from Acton, west London
- Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, a painter and decorator from Enfield, north London
All three were linked to a larger spy network operated by Orlin Roussev, 46, a former City financier who set up a base of operations at the Haydee Guesthouse in Great Yarmouth, purchasing the property for £220,000.
Network and Operations
The group had direct links to an Austrian national, Jan Marsalek, 44, a fugitive sought by German authorities for his role in the collapse of Wirecard, a financial services company involved in a £1.6bn fraud. Marsalek, believed to be in Russia, allegedly supervised operations from abroad.
The spy network functioned between August 2020 and February 2023, using advanced technology and false identities to collect intelligence. More than 80,000 encrypted messages were recovered from the group’s devices, exposing their extensive activities. The operatives targeted political dissidents, Western security officials, and investigative journalists, including Christo Grozev, a Bellingcat journalist known for exposing Russian intelligence operations.
‘Indiana Jones Warehouse’ of Espionage Gear
The Metropolitan Police’s counterterrorism unit, SO15, uncovered a staggering amount of surveillance and espionage equipment at the guesthouse during an extensive eight-day raid. Officers seized:
- 495 SIM cards
- 221 mobile phones
- 258 hard drives
- 55 recording devices
- 16 radios and 11 drones
- A £120,000 IMSI grabber, a device capable of intercepting mobile phone data
- Wearable spy technology, including disguised recording devices in wristwatches, pens, sunglasses, and car key fobs
- 91 bank cards and 75 passports linked to 55 different individuals
Roussev reportedly referred to himself as ‘Q’—a nod to the James Bond franchise’s gadget expert—and described his guesthouse as an ‘Indiana Jones warehouse’ packed with espionage tools.
Links to Russian Intelligence
Investigators traced messages from Marsalek, in which he expressed a desire to conduct successful operations in the UK following the failed 2018 poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.
One of the group’s missions allegedly included smearing Ukraine’s reputation by placing far-right propaganda stickers at Jewish cultural sites in Vienna and Berlin. Another planned operation involved using a drone to spray pig’s blood over the Kazakhstan Embassy in London in a staged protest.
Espionage on an ‘Industrial Scale’
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of SO15, emphasized the scale of the operation, describing it as “spying on an almost industrial scale on behalf of the Russian intelligence services.” He added, “The activities of this group strike at the very heart of national security and the freedoms we strive to protect in the UK.”
Two key members of the ring, Orlin Roussev and Biser Dzhambazov, 43, a medical courier responsible for logistics, previously admitted to espionage charges. The remaining three, who denied the allegations, were convicted after a detailed trial.
Sentencing and Next Steps
All five operatives remain in custody, with sentencing scheduled between May 7 and 12, 2025. The case has intensified calls for stronger counterintelligence measures in the UK, particularly as concerns grow over Russia’s espionage tactics amid heightened geopolitical tensions.
Authorities continue to investigate the network’s broader operations and potential additional members still active within the UK and across Europe.
