Russians accused of operating spy ring targeting Ukrainian soldiers at US base

[Craig]

A TRIAL IS UNDERWAY IN BRITAIN WHERE PROSECUTORS ACCUSE THREE BULGARIANS OF BEING PART OF A RUSSIAN SPY RING THAT TARGETED URKRAINIAN SOLDIERS. THE SOLDIERS WERE TRAINING, TO USE THE PATRIOT AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM AT THE U.S. MILITARY BASE IN STUTTGART, GERMANY.
BULGARIAN NATIONALS Katrin Ivanova, Vanya Gaberova AND Tihomir Ivanchev ARE ON TRIAL and ACCUSED OF BEING PART OF a SPY NETWORK, OPERATED BY A RUSSIAN AGENT NAMED JAN MARSALEK.
BRITISH PROSECUTOR, ALISON MORGAN, TOLD THE JURY IN LONDON, THEY PLANNED A HALF-DOZEN OPERATIONS FROM BRITAIN. SHE SAYS THE MEN ALONG WITH TWO OTHERS,  WERE TO STAGE A FAKE PROTEST OUTSIDE THE KAZAKH EMBASSY IN LONDON. MARSALEK IS ACCUSED OF GIVING THE INSTRUCTIONS.
IN ADDITION, THE PROSECUTOR SAYS MARSALEK GAVE ORDERS TO SURVEIL THE AMERICAN BASE IN STUTTGART, BETWEEN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER OF 2022 AS THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE WAS ONGOING.
BUT THE OPERATION WAS CUT SHORT WHEN POLICE ARRESTED THE SUSPECTS.
PROSECUTOR MORGAN BELIEVES THE INFORMATION USED IN THE SURVEILLANCE WOULD HAVE BEEN USED TO TRACK SOLDIERS, DEPLOYED, TO USE SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES IN UKRAINE.
MORGAN SAID, “ THIS COULD NOT BE MORE SERIOUS IN TERMS OF THE TYPE OF INFORMATION THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO GATHER TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO KNOW EXACTLY WHERE UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS,  WITH THIS TYPE OF DEPLOYMENT, MIGHT BE IN THE FUTURE.”
IVANOVA, GABEROVA AND IVANCHEV HAVE ALL PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO CHARGES OF CONSPIRACY TO GATHER INFORMATION USEFUL TO AN ENEMY.
THEIR TRIAL COULD LAST INTO FEBRUARY.
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