Russian “spies” met with Just Stop Oil protesters to plan a fake bloody attack on Kazakhstan’s embassy in London, a court heard.
The spy ring’s leader, Orlin Roussev, said his team met with climate activists to organize the disinformation campaign against Kazakhstan, while he lived in Great Yarmouth.
Jurors heard that Russian security services would pass false information about the organized protest to Kazakh intelligence agencies to help build a strong relationship.
Roussev, 46, was ordered by Jan Marsalek, the fugitive boss of German payments processor Wirecard, on behalf of the Kremlin.
The pair also discussed creating very fake gay pornography of the president’s son or trapping him in a honey trap.
Roussev said she had also lined up a peer, a baroness and two MPs to raise issues about human rights abuses in Kazakhstan in Parliament after realizing that Kazakh intelligence agencies were not taking them seriously enough.
Sacha Baron Cohen was another option considered by the couple, as they were thinking about hiring the comedian to create a video of Borat criticizing the Kazakh regime.
They also discussed sending letters to EU leaders asking them to sanction President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for his support of Vladimir Putin.
Spy ring leader Orlin Roussev said his team met with Just Stop Oil protesters (pictured blocking traffic in Islington in October) to organize the disinformation campaign against Kazakhstan.
Roussev said she had also brought together a peer, a baroness and two parliamentarians to raise issues about human rights abuses in Kazakhstan in parliament.
Roussev and his number two, Bizer Dzhambazov (pictured), have already admitted to conspiring to spy with a Russian agent using the alias Rupert Ticz.
The disinformation campaign organized between Roussev and Marsalek is one of six planned operations that will be explained to jurors at the Old Bailey.
Roussev and his number two, Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, have already admitted to conspiring to spy with a Russian agent using the alias Rupert Ticz, who prosecutors say is Marsalek.
Marsalek is wanted by Interpol in connection with a £1.6bn fraud at Wirecard, which collapsed in 2020.
Also on trial are Dzhambazov’s girlfriend Katrin Ivanova, 33, her lover Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, Gaberova’s ex-boyfriend, 39. They all deny being part of the conspiracy.
Ivanova is believed to have been involved in surveillance of the Kazakh embassy in London, while Roussev and Marsalek planned to spray it with pig blood using drones.
Dzhambazov was said to have worked alongside Ms Ivanova and had access to human blood samples through his work at The Doctor’s Laboratory.
But they were also carrying out tests on how to make pig’s blood the right consistency to spray on the Pall Mall building in central London.
Roussev messaged Marsalek in 2021 to say he “met the oil protester… very well” and said he was “definitely impressed by his skills.”
Dzhambazov’s lover Vanya Gaberova, 30, is also on trial at the Old Bailey
Sacha Baron Cohen (pictured) was another option considered by the couple, as they were considering hiring the comedian to create a video of Borat criticizing the Kazakh regime.
He also shared links to Just Stop Oil campaigns where they have painted buildings.
The Bulgarian, who had EU resident status to remain in the UK, wrote: ‘(Sic) Amazing organisation…they even have ‘training courses’ on how to peacefully protest and disrupt, outside the law. .. without getting more than 1 -2 weeks in jail in the worst case.
‘I can summarize these people as pure white KKK (Ku Klux Klan) or pure Hitler Youth… they are not racists… but simply white people in their troops. I was surprised and confused at the same time…
‘They are not afraid… and they have a ‘they don’t care’ attitude that they can go to jail… and some kind of Kamikaze… but wait… there are very smart people in their ranks… even teachers, etc… a very interesting breed of people. ‘
Roussev stated that JSO is “driven by sheer dedication” and that they “like our angle on the interconnection between human rights abuses and Big Oil’s business in Kazakhstan.”
There is no suggestion that, if a meeting were held, the climate protesters would be aware that they were talking to Russian spies.
But Roussev claimed his team had been “invited to a high-ranking meeting” and said it would be good to “make an official (non-cash) donation to their cause.”
The couple also created a website criticizing the Kazakh regime and discussed putting critical messages on a “Boris bus” that would pass the embassy, the court heard.
Katrin would have participated in surveillance of the Kazakh embassy in London, while Roussev and Marsalek planned to spray it with pig blood using drones.
They also posted photographs of a staged meeting of Kazakh dissidents in London and Marsalek said: ‘Russian intelligence will provide these to you through official channels as a result of a secret source in the UK spying on the Kazakh opposition.
“It will be the ‘result’ of a super-secret Russian spy operation.”
At the time, Tokayev was under pressure after 219 civilians were killed after he ordered the army to open fire on protesters who he claimed were part of a coup.
Marsalek had suggested “hacking Kazakh nuclear power plants, leaking sex videos, crashing the currency” and creating “a gay fake of Tokayev’s son,” before settling on the idea of bloody protest.
He suggested getting the owner of a gay club “to give an interview saying that the Kazakh president’s son is a regular (gay) customer.”
He added that Putin’s military intelligence unit, the GRU, told him it would be a “drama in Kazakhstan” if they published it.
Roussev added: “I know some of the top porn stars in the UK and the circles around them…with all the elite clubs…SWING etc…we can check or at least create a real fake story.. “
Marsalek then tells Roussev: ‘Glorious news from Kazakhstan: Kazakh intelligence is in a panic and wants our Russian friends to investigate who this new group of activists is.
There is no suggestion that, if a meeting took place, the climate protesters were aware that they were talking to Russian spies (pictured: JSO protesters block traffic as they take part in a slow procession around the Plaza del Parliament)
“They will provide money to bribe the Russians to investigate after verifying their initial information.”
But a month later, Marsalek said Kazakh intelligence agencies were still not taking them seriously enough. He suggested sending letters asking for sanctions to government officials.
Roussev assured him that “he has already contacted the MP I have as a contact” and “we have 4 high-profile people to support our public effort: 1x Lord in the House of Lords, 1x Baroness and 2 x MPs.”
He said that ‘they will express their opinions in parliament… (as our cause is honourable), as soon as their tricks become public.
“It won’t cost them anything to get free political credit and it won’t cost them anything as long as the cause is legitimate enough and Human Rights and War are a good political product,” he added.
Jurors have also heard of plans to monitor the training of Ukrainian soldiers at a US air base in Germany and to kidnap or kill an investigative journalist.
The trial continues.