UK authorities charge 6th person with spying for Russia

ISTANBUL

The UK has charged a sixth person suspected of being a spy for Russia, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Tuesday.

“Tihomir Ivanchev, 38, will be charged with conspiring to obtain, collect, record, publish or communicate documents or information which might be or was intended to be directly or indirectly useful for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state," said Nick Price, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division.

He said five other individuals — three men and two women — were charged in September 2023 with an identical offense of "conspiring to collect information intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state" between Aug. 30, 2020 and Feb. 8, 2023.

“The charges follow an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command," Price said, adding: “Criminal proceedings against the six individuals are active and they each have the right to a fair trial."

Ivanchev will appear at the Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, while the trial for other suspects is listed for Oct. 28, 2024 at the Central Criminal Court.

All six defendants are Bulgarian nationals, according to the CPS.