Russian agent 'wanted successful UK operation after Skripal'

A Russian agent who controlled a spy cell operating in the UK said a "successful operation on British ground would be amazing" after the failed nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, the Old Bailey has heard.

The court was told that Jan Marsalek, an Austrian national who acted as a Russian agent, exchanged a series of messages with Orlin Roussev from Great Yarmouth.

Mr Roussev, 46, and another man, Biser Dzhambazov, 43, from London, have admitted conspiracy to spy.

Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, all from London, deny conspiracy to spy. Ms Ivanova also denies possessing multiple false identity documents.

Jurors have heard the group were involved in six operations against individuals and places of interest to the Russian state for nearly three years.

Alison Morgan KC, continuing to open the prosecution case, said one target was Roman Dobrokhotov, a Russian investigative journalist based in the UK.

Mr Marsalek and Roussev discussed his potential movements in the UK, with Mr Marsalek saying that "a successful operation on British ground would be amazing" after the "Skripal stuff", the court heard.

Jurors were told the group regularly obtained private flight details, and that Ms Ivanova was able to sit close enough to Mr Dobrokhotov on one plane to see the pin number for his mobile phone.

The court heard details of the alleged spying operation relating to investigative journalist Christo Grozev, whose work has included showing Russian links to the Salisbury nerve agent attack in 2018.

Mr Skripal, his daughter Yulia and former police officer Nick Bailey were poisoned by Novichok in Salisbury, Wiltshire, in March 2018 but survived.

Dawn Sturgess, 44, died in July 2018 after she was exposed to the nerve agent, which had been left in a discarded perfume bottle in nearby Amesbury.

Ms Morgan described surveillance on Mr Grozev in multiple countries, including Bulgaria, Spain and Austria.

Messages were read out between Roussev and Mr Marsalek about potential plans relating to Mr Grozev, with Roussev saying that in Bulgaria he had the resources to kidnap Mr Grozev, drug him and lock him in a "cave" before starting an "extraction process".

The group carried out a period of sustained surveillance on Mr Grozev's property in Vienna with "multiple cameras", Ms Morgan said, where they also intercepted mail.

The court heard that in Valencia, Spain, Mr Grozev was followed around a hotel where a conference was taking place for his employer Bellingcat, with secret photos taken of him at breakfast, including with the Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins.

Jurors were told that the alleged spies were able to work out which flights Mr Grozev would be on, with surveillance teams booked onto the planes.

The court was played video taken by Ms Ivanova on a flight from Vienna to Montenegro using "surveillance video glasses". The video showed Mr Grozev walking down the aisle and captured Ms Ivanova using her phone to send the video on to Dzhambazov.

Roussev and Mr Marsalek also discussed deploying Ms Gaberova as a "honeytrap" on Mr Grozev, after she added him as a friend on Facebook, jurors were told.

They described Ms Gaberova as "very, very assertive and strongly independent" and "sexy", the court heard.

Ms Morgan said they clearly considered that Ms Gaberova would be capable of pulling off a "honeytrap operation" without being so weak as to fall in love with Mr Grozev.

The jury was also told about an operation involving the surveillance of Bergey Ryskaliyev, a Kazakhstan national and former politician.

Ms Morgan said he was targeted in November 2021 at two central London addresses.

One message from Roussev to Mr Marsalek detailed "DHL, Deliveroo, Just Eat, Pizza Express, all different outfits and the Ambulance of course" that could be used to gain entry to a building.

The jury was shown mobile phone footage filmed by Ms Gaberova outside an address where Mr Ryskaliyev was believed to be staying.

The trial continues.