Orlin Roussev, Katrin Ivanova, and Bizer Dzhambazov had been charged with other offences earlier this year (Picture: BBC)
Five people from Bulgaria have been charged with spying for Russia.
They are accused of carrying out espionage between August 2020 and February of this year.
All five – Orlin Roussev, 45, Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, Katrin Ivanova, 31, Ivan Stoyanov, 31, and Vanya Gaberova, 29-are set to appear at Westminster magistrates court on September 26 charged with 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.
Roussev, Dzhambazov and Ivanova were previously also charged with possessing false identity documents with improper intention and they appeared at the Old Bailey in July to face those charges.
Nick Price from the Crown Prosecution Service said: ‘The CPS has authorised a charge of conspiracy to conduct espionage against three men and two women suspected of spying for Russia.
‘Orlin Roussev, 45, Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, Katrin Ivanova, 31, Ivan Stoyanov, 31, and Vanya Gaberova, 29, will be charged with 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 August 30 2020 and February 8 2023.
‘Roussev, Dzhambazov and Ivanova were previously charged on February 11 2023 with possession of false identity documents with improper intention under section 4 of the Identity Documents Act 2010.’
The five were arrested by the Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Command in February under the Official Secrets Act.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.