It concerns a high-profile trial against a group of Bulgarians in Great Britain. The accusation is of spying for Russia. The gang is said to be led by none other than ex-Wirecard board member Jan Marsalek (44). As would now become known, another famous investigative journalist would be brutally murdered – on the orders of the fugitive Austrian.
Five Bulgarian citizens carried out various operations on behalf of Russian intelligence services in Britain, Germany, Austria, Spain and Montenegro between 2020 and 2023. They mainly collected information and monitored people and objects that were “of interest” to the Russian state, the British public broadcaster BBC reported.
Orlin Rusjev (46) and Biser Dschambasov (43) have confessed. Katrin Ivanova (33), Wanja Gaberova (30) and Tichomir Ivanchev (39) are currently facing serious charges at the Central Criminal Court in London.
During the trial it emerged that the suspects had worked under Rusjev’s direction and that he in turn had received instructions from Marsalek. The Austrian acted as an “intermediary for the Russian secret services”.
Editor-in-chief of The Insider in his sights
One of the targets was the British-based editor-in-chief of the Russian-language internet newspaper The Insider, Roman Dobrochotov:
At the end of November, it had already become known to the court that the five Bulgarians had planned the kidnapping and murder of investigative journalist Christo Grozev.
In August 2022, Rusjev and Marsalek reportedly discussed Dobrochotov’s kidnapping on a boat. After the failed assassination attempt with the Novichok nerve agent on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March 2018, a successful operation on British soil would of course be fantastic, as Marsalek was enthusiastic at the time.
The young woman probably cooperated out of fear
Dobrochotow most likely shadowed the suspect, 33-year-old Katrin Ivanova. For this she used, among other things, a camera hidden in a shoulder strap. Rusyev forwarded her observations to Marsalek, writing: “Our ‘agent’ was very attentive and even sent the cell phone PIN.” Marsalek replied with a smiley face: “She is probably afraid that she will otherwise be poisoned with Novichok. ”
They then proceeded to plan an assassination attempt on the investigative journalist. Rusev suggested making him look like he had an “accident” in the shower. But that was “not dramatic enough” for Marsalek.
Murder “like the North Koreans”
“Maybe we should burn it down in the street, spray it with a super strong acid like the North Koreans, like VX, or poison it with ricin,” Marsalek wrote. “An ‘accident’ in the shower does not deter the others. We need a dramatic story,” said the still fugitive Austrian who showed no mercy.
But the ex-Wirecard board later rowed back. The reason: legitimate concerns were raised that “we should not conduct such an operation with a team that has never done anything like this in the country where some of its members reside.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
