Investigative journalist Christo Grozev targeted in foiled Russian spy plot

Christo Grozev was in New York, sitting in a café, planning to go back to his home in Vienna. But that changed suddenly when the US law enforcement came to him and told him not to go back home. It was believed that a “red team” was waiting for him—something more than just hacking or surveillance. He stays back in the US, and this may have been a lifesaving decision for Grozev.

A spy ring exposed and dangerous plot unraveled

Several weeks later, arrests in the UK uncovered what appeared to be Bulgarian spies working for Russian intelligence. At the Old Bailey, three members—Katrin Ivanova, Vanya Gaberova, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev—were found guilty of offenses including espionage. The court heard that this group had moved around Europe, spending their time tailing Grozev with the intention of kidnapping him and then ferrying him to Russian operatives.

Grozev has made a name for himself internationally doing the work for Bellingcat, an investigative journalism group that exposed Russian intelligence operations. He has exposed Russian agents involved in the 2018 Salisbury Novichok attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter, and the FSB squad that tried to poison opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Both Grozev and his counterpart Russian journalist Roman Dobrokhotov were being spied on.

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A personal tragedy brings about more questions

When things settled down security-wise in his life, Grozev was confronted with another