A RUSSIAN agent hatched a scheme to deploy a “true sexy b***h” in a honeytrap spy plot against an award-winning journalist, a court heard.
Alleged spy Vanya Gaberova, 30, targeted Bellingcat investigative journalist Christo Grozev on social media.
Jurors heard the London-based beautician was tasked with gathering intel on him on behalf of the Kremlin.
The fake romance plot was concocted by Rupert Ticz”, aka Austrian national Jan Marsalek, and lead spy Orlin Roussev.
They praised Gaberova as “very, very assertive and strongly independent” – with Roussev branding her a “true sexy b***h”.
The Old Bailey was told they also discussed kidnapping and even potentially killing Mr Grozev, who at the time was lead Russia investigator for the publication.
Gaberova had allegedly travelled to Valencia in Spain as part of a team to spy on the writer at a conference in the Palace Hotel.
As well as attempting to befriend Mr Grozev, Gaberova helped capture surveillance images of him with other people that were of interest to Russia, it was said.
On September 28, 2021, Roussev told Marsalek their target “seems hooked and in love with Vanya” and had started “liking” her pictures and posts.
He wrote: “We can move slowly to romance. We slowly push for a date.”
But Marsalek cautioned him to take their time as they did not want to “under-estimate the guy and his paranoia.”
Roussev agreed, telling him: “Absolutely. We can definitely record something for Pornhub too. That girl is red hot, she is a swinger too.”
Marsalek responded: “True. I hope she does not fall in love with him. I had that problem before with a honeytrap.”
The court was told Roussev, 46, and another defendant, Biser Dzhambazov, 43, have pleaded guilty to conspiring to spy for Russia.
Gabverova, Katrin Ivanova, 33, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, are on trial allegedly being part of the same UK-based spy network.
Jurors heard the group plotted with Marsalek for three years to obtain information directly or indirectly useful to Russia.
This included spying on “prominent” individuals of obvious interest to Russia – such as dissidents who had fled to Britain for their own safety, it was said.
There were allegedly six operations against people and places of interest to the Russian state – including Mr Grozev.
Ivanova allegedly played a “central” role in another operation against a investigative journalist – UK-based Russian Roman Dobrokhotov.
She was sitting next to him on a flight from Budapest to Berlin where he was giving evidence in a “zoo murder” case, the court was told.
Jurors heard she showed off her “tradecraft” by relaying images, using covert recording equipment and capturing Mr Dobrokhotov’s iPhone PIN number.
Ivanova even spotted he was writing to the first target Mr Grozev during the flight to Germany, the court was told.
The group would often follow their targets around Britain in surveillance operations then report back to the Russian state, it was said.
In return, they were allegedly paid “significant amounts of money“, the court was told.
The defendants have denied a charge of conspiracy to spy between August 30 2020 and February 8 2023.
Ivanova has denied a second charge of possession of false identity documents with improper intention under section 4 of the Identity Documents Act 2010.
The trial continues.
