Overview

• Ringleader Orlin Roussev received the longest sentence of 10 years and 8 months, with other members sentenced to between 5 and nearly 11 years for espionage crimes.
• The spy ring operated out of a 33-room guesthouse in Great Yarmouth from 2020 to 2023, using advanced surveillance equipment to gather intelligence for Russia.
• Key targets included investigative journalists, Russian dissidents, and Ukrainian troops, with the group engaging in surveillance across the UK, Germany, Austria, Spain, and Montenegro.
• The operation was coordinated by Jan Marsalek, a fugitive Austrian businessman linked to Russian intelligence, who remains wanted by Interpol.
• UK authorities described the case as one of the most complex espionage operations uncovered on British soil, highlighting the growing trend of states outsourcing intelligence activities.