Daniel de Simone, Chris Bell, Tom Beale, Nicolai Athefie
BBC News Survey
Cvetelina Gencheva (L) and Tsvetanka Doncheva (R)
Two women who were part of a Russian spy network run from the UK were named for the first time today by a BBC investigation.
Bulgarian National Zuveterinary Nazhencheva and Tsvetankadoncheva took part in an elaborate surveillance operation against those whom Sel spies on.
Neither woman answered questions when contacted by the BBC.
Airport worker Gencheva had hung up when he was contacted by phone and said he didn’t want to comment on the case in response to a subsequent letter.
Ms. Doncheva denied being herself and left when she approached her home in Vienna, Austria.
Six other Bulgarians are awaiting a ruling in London about their role in spying on Russia as part of the cell.
Police described the network as a life-threatening “very sophisticated” manipulation. The three pleaded guilty and admitted knowing they were working in Russia, but this month three more were convicted this month after failing to persuade the trial at Old Bailey that the jury did not persuade the judge.
The cell was overseen from abroad by Austrian Jan Marsalek, a German executive who became a Russian intelligence report asset. Cell’s targets included journalists who investigated Russian espionage. One Roman Dobrokotov told the BBC that Vladimir Putin was ultimately responsible.
The court heard about two mysterious women who took part in a surveillance operation in Europe.
The BBC tracked and confirmed the identities of both women through open source digital research and talks with sources.
Mystery Airport Worker
cvetelina gencheva/facebook
cvetelina gencheva
Ms. Gencheva, who lives in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, used her job in the aviation industry to obtain details of the individual flights of those targeted by the cell.
The spies took the plane to chase after people, booked in nearby seats, and were so close that they saw what was being entered into the target’s mobile phone.
Gencheva was part of a team sent to Berlin to spy on Dobrokotov, and was a member of a chat group with three people convicted of spying in a British case.
She was tasked with providing flight details to journalist Christo Grozev and gathering as much travel information as possible with another target in Cell, Russian opposition Kirill Kachule.
During the old Bailey trial, mystery airline workers were known as “cvetka” or “sveti”.
The BBC first identified Gencheva through its social media profile. On Facebook, she interacted with Katlin Ivanova and Visar Zhanbazov.
She was then found out she was an airline worker.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she holds a ticket sales position for a travel agency. The Bulgarian company submission says she is the sole owner of the international aviation consultation.
The screen capture of travel data found on hard drives belonging to Cell Leader Russev was from aviation industry software known as “Amadeus.”
Her LinkedIn profile reveals that Ms Gencheva has found herself skilled in software.
After the BBC investigation identified Gencheva, it was confirmed with the BBC that it is known to Bulgarian security services as being connected to the SPY network. She has not been charged with a crime.
We contacted Ms Gencheva using the Bulgarian phone number used for real estate operations. She hung up when she informed her that the call from BBC News was from and had been recorded, not waiting for an explanation of what we were calling.
In response to a letter that set up evidence related to her, she said she “didn’t want to comment on the case” and said she disagreed with her name being used. Writing in Bulgarian, she insisted that she didn’t speak English well. However, her public LinkedIn profile lists her English proficiency as “full professional ability” and says she studied in English at a degree level.
Vienna woman
Tsveti Doncheva/Facebook
Tsvetanka Doncheva
Ms. Doncheva helped spy on Vienna investigative journalist Christo Grozeff, taking over the apartment where he lived and operating the camera that captured images of his home.
She was paid to run an anti-Welline propaganda campaign, which included placing stickers in places that include the Soviet War Memorial in Vienna, with the aim of making Ukrainian supporters look like neo-Nazis.
The BBC identified Ms Doncheva through a social media profile after hearing about “Tsveti” that the old Bailey Trial collaborated with Cell. Austrian sources later confirmed her identity.
In Vienna, she met at least three of those convicted of spying in the British case – Vanya Gabellova, Biser Zahanbazov and Katlin Ivanova.
Austrian officials, including head of Secret Service Omar Haihawi Piltuna, were among those chosen for surveillance by Ms. Doncheva, along with Anna Talma, an Austrian investigative journalist who wrote about Russian spies.
Unemployed Ms Doncheva was arrested by Austrian police in December.
Court documents first reported by the Austrian magazine profile and frailty were later seen by the BBC and revealed that they were “strongly suspected of committing a crime of confidential information at Austria’s disadvantage.”
She told investigators she conducted surveillance after being asked by her longtime friend Vanya Gabellova. She said Gabellova provided her with a list of her name, address and photos.
She initially told police that she was misled by others, but he first said he had done a “student project” and later worked at Interpol. However, Austrian investigators have been recorded saying that Ms Doncheva “can’t understand” his belief in such a “suspecting story.”
The documents show that the intelligence reporting agency run by Doncheva was ultimately managed by Jan Marsalek of Moscow on behalf of the intelligence reporting agency in Russia and seized by investigators, indicating that she was contracted by Marsalek and British cell leader Orlin Roussev.
Adam Walker/BBC
Profile Editor Anna Thalhammer targeted surveillance
According to the documents, Marsalek directed that Anna Tarhammer be targeted. Ms Doncheva admitted to police that she had filmed the journalist’s then-workplace and tried to see her from a nearby restaurant.
Tarhammer, now editor of Austrian news magazine profile, told the BBC she was first told about being spyed by police last year, and she knows she has been watched for a while.
“She was clearly sitting in front of the office at a very nice fish restaurant. I can really recommend it. She complained that it was too expensive and that she needed more money. She got that money.”
She says that “the woman” also spies on many “high-ranked people.”
Thalhammer doesn’t know where else she followed, but he knows that some of her sources have been identified and attempts have been made to break into their homes.
She says, “Vienna is the capital of spies,” but no one has been declared in the city for spies, and says, “The law here is perfect for spies.”
“I’m frustrated and honestly a little scary,” she added. “I live alone with my daughter. It’s not so good to know that the state doesn’t care if someone is threatening a journalist, a politician, or someone else.”
Tsveti Doncheva/Facebook
Tsvetanka Doncheva posing in Vladimir Putin’s T-shirt caption: “I read your mind”
Prolific social media users – even her cat has a tiktoc account – Ms. Doncheva posted a photo of herself on Facebook in 2022 and 2023 in a Vladimir Putin t-shirt.
Ms Doncheva denied being herself and refused to answer the question when she approached the BBC on Vienna Street, but we confirmed that the woman was in fact Ms Doncheva.
Tsvetanka Doncheva was approached by the BBC in Vienna
As she approached, she was wearing clothes and carrying items that could be seen in Ms Doncheva’s social media posts: a distinctive blue tracksuit, a pair of glasses, a patterned mobile phone case. We also observed that she had entered Ms Doncheva’s registered address within 20 minutes of refusing to be Ms Doncheva.
She has not responded to letters offering an opportunity to comment.
The two women worked alongside six Bulgarians who were convicted of conspiring to spy in Russia.
Metropolis Police Handouts and Social Media
Clockwise from top left: Orlin Roussev, Katrin Ivanova, Ivan Stoyanov, Tihomir Ivanchev, Vanya Gaberova, Biser Dzhambazov
A cache of approximately 80,000 telegram messages between Roussev and his controller Marsalek was recovered by British police.
This message revealed multiple operations carried out by the cell in the years prior to February 2023.
The British-based spy targeted Ukrainian soldiers who were thought to be training at US military bases in Germany. Roussev and Marsalek tempted journalists Christo Grozev and Roman Dobrokhotov about the murder.
Unlike the six spies convicted in the UK, Ms Doncheva and Ms Jencheva are not in custody and have not been convicted of the crime.
The Austrian prosecutor’s request for Ms Doncheva’s pretrial detention was denied and she was released.
Austrian court documents say there is “no risk” for Ms Doncheva’s absconding because she is “socially integrated” with the country.
Thalhammer told the BBC she “can’t understand” why the person who spies on her was released.
“perhaps [they] Don’t believe everything the spies say. ”
She said the Austrian Secret Service believes there are other spycels and that their activities continue even after six Bulgarians were arrested in the UK.
Ms. Gencheva remains at her own pace in Bulgaria and publicly presents herself as an experienced airline and travel industry expert.
After being contacted by the BBC, Gencheva changed his profile names on Facebook and LinkedIn. She continues to cite proficiency with Amadeus Airline software.
