In a major national security investigation, three Bulgarian citizens living in the UK have been arrested and charged with possession of false identity documents. Orlin Roussev, Bizer Dzhambazov, and Katrin Ivanova were taken into custody in February after appearing in court in London.

The group is suspected of working for Russian security services and was found to have false documents from various countries in their possession, including the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and more. The trio, who had been living in the UK for years, remain in custody and are scheduled to appear at the Old Bailey court at a later date.

The investigation into the alleged spies also led to the arrests of two other individuals, a man from west London and a woman from north London, who have since been released on bail. The Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism command is leading the investigation.

The identities and backgrounds of the accused have come to light. Katrin Ivanova describes herself as a laboratory assistant and has posted videos online promoting a social platform she created with Bizer Dzhambazov for the Bulgarian community in the UK. They claim to help people access English language courses and obtain necessary documents for living and working in London.

Their neighbors describe them as unobtrusive and not exhibiting any suspicious behavior. Orlin Roussev is listed as an officer for a company called MyTotal TV Ltd, and his LinkedIn profile states that he used to be an adviser to the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy. A neighbor reported seeing police search the guesthouse where Roussev stayed.

Former British spy Christopher Steele commented on the case, calling it an impressive police operation. He stated that the government believes the accused individuals were working for Russian intelligence. Another former intelligence officer, Harry Ferguson, questioned the amount of evidence found against the trio, comparing the charges to a speeding offense in a 30mph zone.

Espionage cases involving Russian operatives have made headlines in recent years, including the high-profile murders of Alexander Litvinenko and the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal. The three major Russian spy agencies, the FSB, GRU, and SVR, have all been linked to operations in the UK. The British government has taken measures to expel Russian intelligence officers in the past.