Russia tried to kill Christo Grozev.
The NYT: Kremlin-backed spy cell tracked him for 2 years across Europe. Six agents are now jailed.
The man who led them - Wirecard fugitive Jan Marsalek.
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In May 2024, a UK court sentenced 6 Bulgarian nationals to 5–11 years for espionage.
They had fake IDs, high-end surveillance gear, and tracked Grozev, a Bellingcat investigator who exposed Russia’s top spy operations.
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They had fake IDs, high-end surveillance gear, and tracked Grozev, a Bellingcat investigator who exposed Russia’s top spy operations.
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Grozev identified FSB officers behind Navalny’s poisoning.
Putin personally approved targeting him. Moscow used Marsalek — a billionaire fugitive — to lead the kill team.
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Putin personally approved targeting him. Moscow used Marsalek — a billionaire fugitive — to lead the kill team.
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Marsalek, wanted for a €1.9B fraud in Germany, now lives in Moscow under FSB protection. He visited Lubyanka HQ regularly — while organizing the hit on Grozev.
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Grozev cracked Marsalek’s alias “Alexander Schmidt” by tracing airline logs, medical data (diabetes), and Russian cell records.
Marsalek had been flying to Libya using a French passport.
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Marsalek had been flying to Libya using a French passport.
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The spy ring called themselves “Van Damme” and “Jackie Chan.”
They hid a camera in a Minion toy. One tried to seduce Grozev via Facebook.
Another tracked a U.S. military base in Germany training Ukrainian troops.
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They hid a camera in a Minion toy. One tried to seduce Grozev via Facebook.
Another tracked a U.S. military base in Germany training Ukrainian troops.
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They also planned a false flag op in Kazakhstan. But UK police intercepted 70,000 messages. Grozev’s daughter identified one spy from photos.
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His father died suddenly in Vienna during the plot.
Austrian police gave no foul play ruling. Grozev believes it may have been an FSB message.
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Austrian police gave no foul play ruling. Grozev believes it may have been an FSB message.
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Grozev now lives in exile, under 24/7 security.
His marriage collapsed. He lost his home. His kids can’t join him in the U.S.
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His marriage collapsed. He lost his home. His kids can’t join him in the U.S.
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This was Russia’s largest failed hit on Western soil since the Cold War.
But only low-level agents were punished. The Kremlin calls them “dropy” — disposable.
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But only low-level agents were punished. The Kremlin calls them “dropy” — disposable.
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Grozev warns: more plots will come. He’s still investigating his own case.
“They got the data. Other units will want to finish the job.”
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“They got the data. Other units will want to finish the job.”
11X
Source: nytimes.com/2025/06/02/opi…
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