When Bulgarian spies in the pay of Moscow set a “love trap” for an investigative journalist

The case seems to come straight from the imagination of a thriller author. A group of Bulgarian spies in the pay of Moscow is currently on trial in London, accused of having set a “honey trap” for an investigative journalist.

According to the British prosecutor, these Bulgarian nationals had targeted an investigative journalist from the Bellingcat news site and tried to lure him into a “honey trap” via Facebook. He was also a Bulgarian, Christo Grozev, a Russian espionage specialist who investigated the 2018 poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England. A young 30-year-old spy, Vanya Gaberova, allegedly sent a friend request on Facebook to Grozev. Over the course of the exchanges, the latter would have fallen under the charm of the young woman.

The trio of spies – Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39 – were acting…