The military prosecutor’s office is expected to request the permanent arrest of five members of the espionage group in favor of Russia, which was defeated a few days ago. Six people were detained during the action, but one of them confessed and was released on bail.
The head was a former senior military intelligence officer – Ivan Iliev (74), trained in Bulgaria and then at the GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate) in Moscow, BTA reported. According to unofficial information, this happened in the 70s of the last century, for almost a year. Later, Iliev, known among the circles as Shopa, was an agent in Greece and Western countries, and later became a teacher of operational disciplines at the School of Military Intelligence, zonanews.bg reported.
He was tasked with building an illegal intelligence network. He recruited individuals who had access to classified information related to NATO and the EU. Part of the group was his wife, with dual citizenship – Russian and Bulgarian. She was an intermediary between her husband and an employee of the Russian embassy, handing over documents and money. Her visits to the Russian embassy, where she enjoyed authority, are documented.
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Some of the recruits were trained in operational skills by the group leader. One of them is a senior official from the Ministry of Defense, who dealt with the planning and budget of the ministry.
The other is from military intelligence. He prepared information on hybrid threats and risks, incl. and from Russia.
The third participant is from military intelligence, he was sent on a mission with contingents abroad.
The fourth is a former military intelligence officer. He was secretary, military attaché and defense attaché abroad, and since 2015 – director of the classified registry in parliament. It is about Ivan Medarov, known as the Bee.
According to the prosecution, they took BGN 2-3,000 each for the services they provided.
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