Two women who spied for Russia tracked down and named by BBC

Two women who were portion of a Russian spy web tally from the UK are named for the archetypal clip contiguous by a BBC investigation.

Bulgarian nationals Cvetelina Gencheva and Tsvetanka Doncheva took portion successful elaborate surveillance operations against radical spied connected by the cell.

Neither pistillate answered questions erstwhile contacted by the BBC.

Ms Gencheva, an airdrome worker, hung up erstwhile contacted by phone, and said she did not privation to remark connected the lawsuit successful effect to a consequent letter.

Ms Doncheva denied being herself and walked distant erstwhile approached adjacent her location successful Vienna, Austria.

Six different Bulgarians are awaiting sentencing successful London for their roles successful spying for Russia arsenic portion of the cell.

Police described the web arsenic a "highly sophisticated" cognition that threatened lives. Three pleaded guilty, admitting knowing they were moving for Russia, portion 3 much were convicted this period aft a proceedings astatine the Old Bailey having failed to transportation the assemblage that they didn't.

The compartment was directed from overseas by Jan Marsalek, primitively from Austria, who was a concern enforcement successful Germany who became a Russian quality asset. The cell's targets included journalists who person investigated Russian espionage. One, Roman Dobrokhotov, told the BBC helium believed Vladimir Putin was yet responsible.

The tribunal heard astir 2 enigma women who took portion successful surveillance operations successful Europe.

The BBC tracked down and confirmed the identities of some women done unfastened root integer probe and speaking to sources.

The enigma airdrome worker

Ms Gencheva, who lives successful the Bulgarian superior Sofia, exploited her enactment successful the hose manufacture to get backstage formation details of radical targeted by the cell.

Spies followed the radical onto planes and were booked successful adjacent seats, getting truthful adjacent arsenic to spot what was being typed into their targets' mobiles phones, adjacent astatine 1 signifier identifying a Pin fig for a telephone belonging to writer Roman Dobrokhotov.

Ms Gencheva was portion of a squad sent to Berlin to spy connected Mr Dobrokhotov, and she was a subordinate of chat groups with 3 of those convicted of spying successful the UK lawsuit - compartment person Orlin Roussev, Biser Dzhambazov and Katrin Ivanova - which were utilized to co-ordinate the spying.

She provided formation details for writer Christo Grozev, and was tasked with gathering arsenic overmuch question accusation arsenic imaginable connected different people of the cell, Russian dissident Kirill Kachur.

During the Old Bailey trial, the enigma hose idiosyncratic was known arsenic "Cvetka" oregon "Sveti".

The BBC archetypal identified Ms Gencheva done her societal media profiles. On Facebook, she had interacted with Katrin Ivanova and Biser Dzhambazov.

We past recovered she was an hose worker.

According to her Linkedin profile, she has held positions successful summons income for question companies. Bulgarian institution filings accidental she is the sole proprietor of International Aviation Consult.

Screen captures of question information recovered connected a hard thrust belonging to compartment person Roussev were from hose manufacture bundle known arsenic "Amadeus".

On her LinkedIn profile, we recovered Ms Gencheva noted her proficiency with the software.

After the BBC's probe identified Ms Gencheva, a root confirmed to the BBC that she is known to the Bulgarian information services arsenic being connected to the spy network. She is not charged with immoderate offence.

We contacted Ms Gencheva connected a Bulgarian telephone fig she uses for existent property work. She hung up erstwhile informed the telephone was from BBC News and was being recorded, not adjacent waiting for an mentation of what we were calling about.

In effect to a missive mounting retired the grounds relating to her, she said she did "not privation to remark connected the case" and did not consent for her sanction to beryllium used. Writing successful Bulgarian, she claimed not to talk English well. However, her nationalist LinkedIn illustration lists her English quality arsenic "full nonrecreational proficiency" and says she has studied successful English to grade level.

The pistillate successful Vienna

Ms Doncheva helped spy connected the investigative writer Christo Grozev successful Vienna, occupying a level other wherever helium lived and operating a camera that took images of his home.

She was paid to behaviour an anti-Ukraine propaganda campaign, which included putting stickers connected locations including Vienna's Soviet warfare memorial and was intended to marque supporters of Ukraine look similar neo-Nazis.

The BBC identified Ms Doncheva done her societal media profiles aft the Old Bailey proceedings heard astir a "Tsveti" who had worked with the cell. Sources successful Austria past confirmed her identity.

In Vienna, she met astatine slightest 3 of those convicted of spying successful the UK lawsuit - Vanya Gaberova, Biser Dzhambazov and Katrin Ivanova.

Senior Austrian officials, including the caput of the Secret Service Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, were among those selected for surveillance by Ms Doncheva, alongside the Austrian investigative writer Anna Thalhammer, who has written astir Russian espionage.

Ms Doncheva, who is unemployed, was arrested by Austrian constabulary successful December.

Court documents archetypal reported by the Austrian magazines Profil and Falter, and aboriginal seen by the BBC, uncover she is "strongly suspected of having committed the transgression of concealed quality to the detriment of Austria".

She told investigators she conducted surveillance aft being asked by long-time person Vanya Gaberova - 1 of the six Bulgarians awaiting sentencing. She said Gaberova provided her with a database of names, addresses and photographs.

She initially told constabulary she had been misled by the others, who archetypal told her they were conducting a "student project" and aboriginal that they were moving for Interpol. But Austrian investigators are recorded arsenic saying it is "incomprehensible" that Ms Doncheva believed specified "dubious stories".

The documents accidental the quality compartment successful which Ms Doncheva operated was yet controlled by Jan Marsalek from Moscow connected behalf of the Russian quality services and that grounds seized by investigators shows she was contracted by Marsalek and the UK compartment person Orlin Roussev.

The documents accidental Marsalek directed that Anna Thalhammer beryllium targeted. Ms Doncheva admitted to constabulary she had photographed the journalist's past workplace and sought to ticker her from a adjacent restaurant.

Ms Thalhammer, present exertion of Austrian quality mag Profil, told the BBC she was archetypal told astir being spied connected past twelvemonth by police, and she is present alert of being watched for immoderate time.

"She evidently sat successful beforehand of the bureau successful a precise bully food restaurant. I truly tin urge it. She complained that it's excessively expensive, that she needs much money. She got that money."

She says "that woman" besides spied connected a fig of "high-ranked people".

Ms Thalhammer does not cognize wherever other she was followed, but that immoderate of her sources were identified and attempts were made to interruption into their homes.

She says "Vienna is the superior of spies" but nary 1 has been sentenced successful the metropolis for espionage and the "law present is large for spies".

"I'm frustrated and I'm besides honestly a small spot scared," she added. "I unrecorded unsocial with my daughter. It's not truthful bully to cognize that the authorities doesn't instrumentality attraction if idiosyncratic is threatening journalists, politicians oregon anybody else."

A prolific societal media idiosyncratic - adjacent her feline has a TikTok relationship - Ms Doncheva posted a photograph of herself connected Facebook successful a Vladimir Putin T-shirt successful 2022 and 2023. When idiosyncratic commented that successful Russia a ample percent of women privation to person Putin's baby, Ms Doncheva replied saying not lone successful Russia, followed by a lip-licking emoji.

Ms Doncheva denied being herself erstwhile approached by the BBC successful a Vienna thoroughfare and refused to reply questions, but we person verified that the pistillate was so Ms Doncheva.

When approached, she was wearing apparel and carrying items seen successful Ms Doncheva's societal media posts: a distinctive bluish tracksuit, a brace of glasses, and a patterned mobile telephone case. We besides observed her entering Ms Doncheva's registered location code little than 20 minutes aft she denied being Ms Doncheva.

She has not responded to a missive offering her a accidental to comment.

The 2 women worked alongside the six Bulgarians who were convicted of conspiring to spy for Russia.

A cache of astir 80,000 Telegram messages betwixt Roussev and his controller Marsalek was recovered by UK police.

The messages revealed aggregate operations carried retired by the compartment successful the years earlier February 2023, erstwhile their activities were disrupted by police.

The UK-based spies adjacent targeted Ukrainian soldiers thought to beryllium grooming astatine a US subject basal successful Germany. Roussev and Marsalek discussed kidnapping and sidesplitting journalists Christo Grozev and Roman Dobrokhotov.

Unlike the six spies convicted successful the UK, Ms Doncheva and Ms Gencheva are not successful custody and person not been convicted of immoderate offence.

The Austrian nationalist prosecutor's petition for pre-trial detention of Ms Doncheva was rejected and she was released.

Austrian tribunal documents authorities determination is "no risk" of Ms Doncheva absconding due to the fact that she is "socially integrated" successful the state and cares for her mother, and that a hazard of further transgression is not peculiarly precocious fixed the imprisonment successful the UK of others involved,

Ms Thalhammer told the BBC she "can't understand" wherefore the idiosyncratic who spied connected her was released.

"Maybe [they] shouldn't judge everything a spy says."

She said the Austrian concealed work thinks determination are different spy cells and that their enactment has continued aft the apprehension of the six Bulgarians successful the UK.

Ms Gencheva has remained escaped successful Bulgaria, publically presenting herself arsenic an experienced hose and question manufacture professional.

After being contacted by the BBC, Ms Gencheva changed her illustration sanction connected Facebook and LinkedIn. She continues to database her proficiency with the Amadeus hose software.