Russian spies, led by former Wirecard director Jan Marsalek, were planning the abduction of Christo Grozev.

Former Wirecard COO Jan Marsalek, whom the British investigation considers the head of a Russian espionage network in the UK, discussed the abduction of Bellingcat investigative journalist Christo Grozev and his transportation to Russia with his business partner Orlin Rusev.

This information was revealed in court, where the trial regarding the espionage network began the day before, according to The Guardian.

According to the investigation, Marsalek and Rusev discussed options for dealing with Grozev in their correspondence in 2021. Among these options were surveillance, abduction, and transport to Moscow, or even assassination.

In addition, their correspondence included plans to steal Grozev's laptop and phone, followed by either destruction or handover to the Russian embassy.

The accused spies allegedly monitored Grozev in Austria, Montenegro, and Spain.

A group of Bulgarian citizens is involved in the case, whom the investigation considers participants in the espionage network. Besides Rusev, the group included Bizer Djambazov, Katrin Ivanova, Vanya Huberova, and Tihomir Ivanchev. Rusev and Djambazov admitted to engaging in espionage activities.

Surveillance was also conducted on The Insider's editor-in-chief Roman Dobrokhotov. Katrin Ivanova was likely involved in the operation against him.

According to the prosecution, they not only monitored journalists but also gathered information about key sites for Russia, including the American military base "Patch Barracks" in Stuttgart. Other targets of the espionage network included former SK RF employee Kiril Kachur, who fled to the UK and opposes the war, and political refugee from Kazakhstan, Bergey Riskaliyev.

Furthermore, the accused planned to hold a demonstration outside the Kazakhstan embassy in London, intending to later pass information about its "organizer" to Kazakhstan in an effort to improve the country's relations with Russia.

Marsalek, the head of the espionage network, was the director of the financial startup Wirecard, which collapsed in 2020 when auditors discovered nearly €2 billion had gone missing from its accounts. Authorities in Germany and Austria consider Marsalek a key figure in the embezzlement and have issued an international arrest warrant for him. After the Wirecard crash, Marsalek fled to Belarus and then made his way to Russia. According to journalists, he received a Russian passport under the name Herman Bazhenov.