A Russian spy discussed sending a ‘true sexy bitch’ to discredit an award-winning journalist in a ‘honeypot’ trap, a court has heard.
Austrian national Jan Marsalek was found to have exchanged a series of encrypted messages with Kremlin spy Orlin Roussev, in which they plotted to ruin the reputation of Bellingcat investigative journalist Christo Grozev in 2021.
Jurors at the Old Bailey heard how the pair planned to set Mr Grosev, 64, up with London-based beautician Vanya Gaberova, 30, who would seduce the reporter and ‘record something for Pornhub’.
Other options the pair discussed included robbing Mr Grozev, burning his property, kidnapping him and taking him to Moscow, infiltrating Bellingcat, and even killing him.
Gaberova had travelled to Valencia in Spain as part of a team to spy on Mr Grozev at a conference in the Palace Hotel which was also attended by Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins, jurors were told.
Roussev had noted that Mr Grozev had ‘very quickly’ accepted a Facebook request from Gaberova, later telling Marsalek that he ‘seems hooked and in love with Vanya’ and had started ‘liking’ her pictures and posts.
On September 28, 2021, he wrote in the chat: ‘We can move slowly to romance. We slowly push for a date.’
Marsalek responded by querying whether she ‘would be up for that’ and warned: ‘Let’s wait a little, let’s not under-estimate the guy and his paranoia.’
Roussev agreed, and told him: ‘Absolutely. We can definitely record something for Pornhub too. That girl is red hot, she is a swinger too.’
He identified an ‘excellent opportunity for a girl to appear and help him relax’.
Marsalek responded: ‘True. I hope she does not fall in love with him. I had that problem before with a honeytrap.’
Rouzzev told him that would not happen, saying: ‘You are using the wrong type of girls.’
Marsalek replied: ‘To be fair, I do not think he’s a pleasant guy.’
Roussev went on: ‘You need strong, assertive and independence-driven girls. Vanya is very, very assertive and strongly independent… true sexy bitch.’
In addition to trying to ‘befriend’ Mr Grozev, Gaberova was also accused of capturing surveillance images of him and other journalists of interest to Russia at the conference in Valencia, including Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins.
Jurors have heard that Roussev, 46, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and another defendant, Biser Dzhambazov, 43, of Harrow, north-west London, have pleaded guilty to conspiring to spy for Russia.
Bulgarian national Gaberova, Katrin Ivanova, 33, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, are all on trial at the Old Bailey for allegedly being part of the same UK-based spy network.
Prosecutors claim the group had been involved in six covert operations against people of interest to the Russian government for nearly three years.
Mr Grozev, also a Bulgarian national, was believed to be the group’s first ‘assignment’, and was targeted because of his work uncovering Russian links to the 2018 Salisbury attack and the downing of a Malaysia Airlines plane in July 2014.
He was tracked by the group across Vienna, Valencia, and Montenegro, but the only recognised Gaberova, whom he knew from Facebook.
Jurors were shown surveillance pictures taken of Mr Grozev arriving at Valencia airport and inside the Palace Hotel, even having breakfast.
The defendants have denied a charge of conspiracy to spy between August 30 2020 and February 8 2023.
Ivanova has also denied a second charge of possession of false identity documents with improper intention under Section 4 of the Identity Documents Act 2010.
At the time of the alleged offences, Ivanchev was living in Acton, west London, Ivanova in Harrow, north-west London, and Gaberova in Euston, north London.
The trial continues.
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