Vanya Gaberova, a woman accused of spying for Russia, has told a court that she believed she was assisting her boyfriend with police work, not engaging in espionage. Gaberova appeared at the Old Bailey, where she testified that Biser Dzhambazov, her boyfriend, misled her into thinking they were involved in legitimate operations linked to Interpol.
Gaberova, 30, along with Katrin Ivanova, 33, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, all from London, deny charges of conspiracy to spy. Biser Dzhambazov, 43, from London, and Orlin Roussev, 46, from Great Yarmouth, have already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to spy for Russia. The Bulgarian nationals are accused of participating in multiple espionage operations targeting people and places of interest to the Russian state.
In her defense, Gaberova claimed that Dzhambazov showed her fake Interpol identity cards bearing his name and picture multiple times. She recalled an incident where Dzhambazov displayed his badge during a video call with her sister. Gaberova stated that it had always been her dream to become a police officer, but financial constraints in Bulgaria forced her to train as an accountant instead.
Dzhambazov, she said, promised to help her achieve her dream of becoming a police officer, claiming he knew people who could assist her and mentioning a school in Wembley. Gaberova testified that Dzhambazov asked her to accompany him on a “work trip” to Vienna, where they would surveil investigative journalist Christo Grozev, whom Dzhambazov labeled as “corrupt.”
Gaberova’s relationship with Ivanchev had deteriorated, and she became “very close” with Dzhambazov, who was in a relationship with Ivanova. She admitted to falling in love with Dzhambazov while they were in Valencia, where they were supposedly conducting further surveillance on Grozev. However, she maintained that their activities mostly involved leisure, such as spending time on the beach and dining out.
Gaberova denied actively following Grozev or engaging in any surveillance activities. She recounted another occasion when Dzhambazov claimed they had to go to Montenegro for an urgent Interpol job, alleging they were looking for a Bulgarian individual who had stolen money. Gaberova believed this trip would be similar to their previous outings, involving both leisure and supposed work.
During her testimony, Gaberova emphasized that she never had any contact with Orlin Roussev. She insisted that she was unaware of any espionage activities and thought she was assisting Dzhambazov with legitimate police work.
The trial continues as the court examines the evidence and testimonies provided by the accused individuals and witnesses. The allegations of espionage have raised concerns about the involvement of foreign nationals in intelligence operations and the potential implications for national security.