Five Bulgarian nationals accused of being part of a Russian spy network in the UK will stand trial next year, a judge at London’s Old Bailey court has said.

The judge provisionally listed the trial to begin in October 2024. 

It is expected to last up to four months. 

The three men and two women are accused of conspiring “to collect information intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state” between 30 August, 2020 and 8 February this year.

Orlin Roussev, 45, Bizer Dzhambazov, 42, Katrin Ivanova, 32, Ivan Stoyanov, 31, and Vanya Gaberova, 29 were arrested by counterterrorism police in February this year.

Roussev, Dzhambazov and Ivanova have also been charged with identity document offences. 

Judge Jeremy Baker ruled that the separate case should be heard at the same time as the conspiracy case.