A honeytrap spy ring snared after passing top secrets to Russia for three years from their seaside guesthouse base, have been jailed for more than 50 years. Orlin Roussev, Biser Dzhambazov, Katrin Ivanova, Tihomir Ivanchev, Ivan Stoyanov and Vanya Gaberova plotted stings on British soil.

Ivanova and Gaberova were known as the "brunette twins" but became embroiled in a love triangle with a leading member of the spy cell. The pair were used in honeytrap operations to gather intel on Kremlin targets, with the group of six Bulgarians paid huge sums of money for their espionage. The Bulgarian spies all had EU settled status enabling them to travel freely across Europe from the UK.

Ex-tech worker Roussev, 46, ran the ring, which experts say posed a chilling threat to national security.

Police raiding his 33-bedroom guesthouse in Great Yarmouth discovered a treasure trove of evidence which led to them being convicted of spying for Putin's Russia.

Ringleader Roussev was jailed for ten years and eight months, while Dzhambazov was sentenced to ten years and two months.

Ivanova was jailed for nine years and eight months and Gaberova received six years and eight months.

Ivanchev was jailed for eight years for his part in the role, while Stoyanov was sentenced to five years and three weeks.

The head of Met counter terror, Dominic Murphy, previously warned similar cells could be operating as Britain becomes a "more hostile environment".

He said: "The reality is this won't be the only activity Russia is conducting here in the UK and we have seen other disruptions here in recent months."

In mitigation for "lashes queen" beautician Gaberova, Anthony Metzer KC said her case was "tragic" as she would never have got involved but for her infatuation with Dzhambazov, who had falsely claimed to have cancer and be working for Interpol while retaining his relationship with partner Ivanova.

He told the Old Bailey: "We say she was controlled, coerced into this conspiracy by Mr Dzhambazov.

"She fell in love with him."

In a televised sentencing, Mr Justice Hilliard said the defendants were "motivated by money" and lived "very comfortably" on the substantial sums they were paid.

Victims targeted by the spyring had been left "deeply concerned" and been forced to enhance their security, the judge added.

He said the risk to them was obvious and Roussev would have been aware of the "extreme actions" Russia had taken against those it regarded as an "enemy" of the state.

Using the UK as a base to plan spy operations against the safety and interests of the nation was a "very serious offence", Mr Justice Hilliard added.

The court had heard that the spies were directed by alleged Russian agent Jan Marsalek, 44, an Austrian businessman wanted by Interpol after the collapse of German payment processing firm Wirecard.

Marsalek acted as a go-between for Russian intelligence and Roussev, who led the operation from a former guesthouse in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

When police moved to arrest the spies in February 2023, they found Dzhambazov naked in bed with his lover Gaberova in Euston, rather than at home with his partner Ivanova.

Police pieced together six operations dating back to August 2020 from more than 100,000 Telegram messages on Roussev's phone in which he and Marsalek made light of their dangerous plans.

In the chat, Roussev was referred to as Jackie Chan, Dzhambazov went by Mad Max and Jean-Claude Van Damme, and referred to his spies as The Minions.

The spy ring, which operated over at least three years, is believed to have been one of the "largest and most complex" enemy operations to be uncovered on UK soil.

The network engaged in a series of surveillance and intelligence operations targeting people and places of interest to the Russian state.

The defendants' spy activities ranged between the UK, Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro, and they also conducted surveillance on a US base in Germany where they believed Ukrainian soldiers were being trained to operate Patriot missile air defences.

They helped supply Russia with drones, laptops and military equipment in order to help Putin's state evade sanctions.

Roussev boasted about his "Brunette Twins" Ivanova and Gaberova as he plotted to use the women to make porn films with victims.

Targets included investigative journalists, Russian dissidents and political figures.

Roussev and Marsalek also plotted murder and kidnap in service of the Kremlin

Spyware was recovered from the seaside hotel, described by Roussev in messages as his "Indiana Jones garage" - including audiovisual spy devices hidden inside a rock, men's ties, a Coca-Cola bottle and a Minions cuddly toy.

Kit to make and test counterfeit identity documents was recovered from Roussev's address, with a stash of fake passports also found at the one-bedroom flat in Harrow that Ivanova and Dzhambazov shared.

After his arrest, Roussev initially denied spying for Russia, telling police: "No James Bond activity on my end, I guarantee you."

Marsalek, 43, remains at the centre of an Interpol Red Notice after going on the run when his tech company collapsed in 2020.

Mr Justice Hilliard made a confiscation order for Roussev to pay £180,768 in ill-gotten gains.

Commander Murphy, head of Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command, said: "The investigation team worked incredibly hard to piece together a complex and wide-ranging conspiracy that I would describe as espionage on an industrial scale.

"The significant jail sentences handed to the group reflect the serious threat they posed to the safety and interests of the UK, as well as targets across Europe.

"This case is a clear example of the increasing amount of state threat casework we are dealing with in the UK. It also highlights a relatively new phenomenon whereby espionage is being 'outsourced' by certain states.

"Regardless of the form the threat takes, this investigation shows that we will take action to identify and disrupt any such activity that puts UK national security and the safety of the public at risk."