Dzhambazov lived with Ivanova but was also in a relationship with Gaberova, the court heard. Gaberova, a beautician, was previously in a relationship with Ivanchev.

The masterminds discussed killing the investigative journalist who exposed Russian links to a poison attack in Salisbury or kidnapping him and taking him to Moscow.

Alison Morgan KC, prosecuting, said the defendants may suspect they were “misled” and “blindly following others across Europe, simply out of love”. She said: “By collecting the information and passing it on to the Russian state, the defendants put many lives at risk.”

Jan Marsalek, a Russian agent under the code name Rupert Ticz, paid Roussev for the espionage operations. Roussev handed over £204,000 to Dzhambazov, who distributed some of the money to other members of the ring. All five people involved in the British operation are Bulgarians with EU settlement status allowing them to live in the UK.

Dzhambazov (left) has pleaded guilty, but Ivanova denies the charge

Marsalek and Roussev exchanged 78,747 messages on Telegram during the spy ring’s collaboration between August 2020 and February last year. The spies monitored people and places, using false identities and advanced technology to obtain information, the court heard.

Police found technical equipment, including 221 cell phones and 495 phone SIM cards, as well as audio and video recording devices, drones, listening devices, jammers and hacking software. Much of the equipment was found in the guest house where Roussev lived with his wife and stepson in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Gaberova ran a beauty salon called Pretty Woman in Acton, west London. Ivanova, a laboratory assistant, lived with Dzhambazov in Harrow, north-west London. Ivanchev, 39, was a painter and decorator from Enfield, north London. Members of the ring were involved in six operations, it was said in court.

Ivanova, a laboratory assistant, and Gaberova, who ran a beauty salon, in court

ELIZABETH COOK/PA

Morgan said: “It is undisputed that the defendants conducted surveillance operations in relation to the targets. The only question you need to address with respect to each of these defendants is why they conducted this surveillance of targets.”

The first target was Christo Grozev, 54, an investigative journalist for the Bellingcat website who was monitored by all members of the ring between September and November 2021, the court was told.

Grozev exposed Russian links to the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a Russian military intelligence officer who acted as a double agent for the United Kingdom, and his daughter Julia at their home in Salisbury in 2018. He also investigated the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The spies followed Grozev to Vienna in Austria, Montenegro and Valencia in Spain. They discussed killing him, kidnapping him and taking him to Moscow and infiltrating Bellingcat, the court was told.

Roussev boasted of having four 12-person teams of agents in Bulgaria and compared them to car thieves in Hollywood films Gone in 60 seconds.

The second target was Roman Dobrokhotov, 41, a Russian investigative journalist based in Britain who edits The Insider, which focuses on Russian affairs. Ivanova was allegedly involved in this operation in November 2022.

Bergey Ryskaliyev, 57, a former Kakazh politician who was granted asylum in the United Kingdom, was targeted in November 2021 for helping Russia maintain relations with Kazakhstan. Gaberova was allegedly involved.

Plans have been drawn up to stage a demonstration outside the Kazakh embassy near Trafalgar Square in central London in September 2022 and collect information that they could pass on to the country’s intelligence services in a bid to win Russia’s favor. Ivanova was allegedly involved.

At the end of 2022, Patch Barracks, a US military base in Stuttgart in southwest Germany, was also monitored. The ring assumed that the base was used to train Ukrainian forces during the Russian invasion. Ivanchev was allegedly involved. Morgan said the spies had equipment that could “compromise” the cellphones of Ukrainian soldiers preparing to fight the Russians.

The sixth target, Kirill Kachur, was a member of Russia’s Investigative Committee but left the country in 2021 and was labeled a “foreign agent.” He was targeted in Montenegro by all members of the spy ring, the court said.

Ivanova denies a further charge of possessing 18 false identification documents, including British, French, Italian, Greek, Czech, Slovenian, Croatian and Bulgarian passports.

The process continues.