A Russian agent discussed deploying a “true sexy bitch” in a “honeytrap” spy plot against an award-winning journalist, a court has heard.
“Rupert Ticz”, aka Austrian national Jan Marsalek, exchanged a series of messages with lead spy Orlin Roussev about the operation on Bellingcat investigative journalist Christo Grozev in 2021, the Old Bailey heard.
In the encrypted chat, the pair discussed engineering a fake romance between Mr Grozev, 64, and London-based beautician Vanya Gaberova, 30.
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.
On September 28 2021, he told Marsalek that 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.”
Marsalek queried 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, telling 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.”
Roussev 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.”
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC told jurors that, as well as trying to “befriend” Mr Gozev, Gaberova had been engaged in capturing surveillance images of him at the conference.
She said: “These images were extremely important as they showed Christo Grozev together with others of interest to Russia, Eliot Higgins.
“Roussev would later seek to use face recognition software to check that the image did show Christo Grozev with Higgins together.”
Earlier, it was jokingly suggested in the chat that the figure said to be Mr Higgins was late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the court was told.
More chat between the spy ring noted Mr Gozev was like a “Swiss watch”, even sitting at the same table for breakfast every day.
They noted that Mr Gozev and his group would stop talking or change the subject whenever anyone passed by or came close, the court was told.
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 Gabverova, Katrin Ivanova, 33, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, are on trial at the Old Bailey for allegedly being part of the same UK-based spy network.
Jurors have heard the group were involved in six operations against individuals and places of interest to the Russian state for nearly three years.
The first operation, between September and November 2021, targeted Mr Grozev because of his work on Russian affairs, including uncovering Russian links to the 2018 Salisbury attack and the downing of a Malaysia Airlines plane in July 2014.
Bulgarian Mr Grozev was tracked across Vienna in Austria, Valencia in Spain, and in Montenegro, but the only defendant he recognised was 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.
Marsalek and Roussev allegedly discussed various options, including robbing Mr Grozev, burning his property, kidnapping him and taking him to Moscow, infiltrating Bellingcat, and even killing him.
Ivanova allegedly played a “central” role in the second operation against another investigative journalist, UK-based Russian Roman Dobrokhotov, 41.
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.
She showed off her “tradecraft” by relaying images, using covert recording equipment and capturing Mr Dobrokhotov’s iPhone PIN number, Mr Morgan said.
She even spotted he was writing to the first target Mr Grozev during the flight to Germany, the court was told.
During discussions about the operation in November 2021, Marsalek allegedly commented: “I would love to kidnap the guy now even more.”
Mr Dobrokhotov is the founder of The Insider and considers himself to be a target for Russian intelligence.
The third operation was in London and involved surveillance of Kazakhstan dissident Bergey Ryskaliyev at two west London addresses, One Hyde Park in Knightsbridge and Warwick Chambers, the court heard.
When asked if he could deploy his “Minions” team, Roussev told Marsalek: “London is a piece of cake… Always wanted London and to use my black cab.”
Dzhambazov, who went by the messaging handle Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Gaberova were sent to stake out the addresses along with Ivan Stoyanov, jurors heard.
There was discussion about dressing up as Deliveroo drivers to gain access to the properties and using ambulances as “perfect cover” to disguise their activities, jurors were told.
But Ms Morgan told jurors that Mr Ryskaliyev had spotted Stoyanov parked outside Warwick Chambers in a Toyota Prius and his assistant took photographs and confronted him by asking what he was doing there.
Jurors have heard that targeting Mr Ryskaliyev in November 2021 would have helped Kazakhstan and served to cultivate relations with Russia, 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.
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 was adjourned until Tuesday morning.
