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Signal
Submitted
Feb 1, 2026, 00:14 UTC
A Russian spy ring operating in the UK targeted journalist Roman Dobrokhotov with death threats and an assassination plot revealed in court on 8 March 2025.
On 8 March 2025, an Old Bailey trial in the United Kingdom exposed a Russian espionage ring involved in targeting Russian investigative journalist Roman Dobrokhotov, who fled Russia in 2021. The defendants, six Bulgarian nationals, were accused of conducting espionage on behalf of Russian intelligence and tasked with harming Dobrokhotov, including directives to kill him as part of Kremlin operations. Evidence revealed death threats such as "Burn him alive on the street". Dobrokhotov’s work and anti-Kremlin stance made him a target for Russian operatives stationed in the UK. The case underscores Russia's ongoing hostile intelligence activities against dissidents abroad.
Confidence: High
The article explicitly details hostile actions by a Russian spy ring operating in the UK, including targeted threats and assassination planning against a journalist, with clear attribution and prosecution, making the aggressor classification certain. No significant defensive or preparatory measures by UK authorities are described in this article.
Source URL
https://theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/08/burn-him-alive-on-the-street-the-russian-journalist-targeted-in-uk-by-spy-ring-tasked-with-his
Published as a hybrid-warfare signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.
{
"id": "8c89d441-40c7-49c9-aec2-9c83d9c59981",
"url": "https://theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/08/burn-him-alive-on-the-street-the-russian-journalist-targeted-in-uk-by-spy-ring-tasked-with-his",
"source": "extension",
"status": "approved",
"category": "Intelligence & Espionage",
"subcategory": "Human Intelligence (HUMINT)",
"incident_type": "Unknown",
"country": "United Kingdom",
"source_reliability": "C",
"info_credibility": "3",
"tags": [
"Russian spy ring",
"russian intelligence operations",
"Espionage",
"Assassination plot",
"UK",
"Russian journalist",
"Roman Dobrokhotov",
"Bulgarian operatives",
"Old Bailey trial",
"Kremlin hostile operations"
],
"nodes": [],
"countries": [
"United Kingdom"
],
"where_text": "Land",
"headline": null,
"description": "The article reports on a Russian spy ring operating in the UK that targeted the investigative journalist Roman Dobrokhotov, who fled Russia in 2021 fearing for his life. The ring, comprising six Bulgarians charged with espionage, was revealed in an Old Bailey trial on 8 March 2025 to have sought to intimidate and potentially assassinate Dobrokhotov under Kremlin orders. Threats included orders to \"burn him alive on the street\". The defendants were alleged to have conducted espionage for Russian intelligence services. The case highlights ongoing Russian hostile intelligence operations against dissident journalists outside Russia, putting Dobrokhotov under severe threat in the UK.",
"summary_short": "A Russian spy ring operating in the UK targeted journalist Roman Dobrokhotov with death threats and an assassination plot revealed in court on 8 March 2025.",
"summary_extended": "On 8 March 2025, an Old Bailey trial in the United Kingdom exposed a Russian espionage ring involved in targeting Russian investigative journalist Roman Dobrokhotov, who fled Russia in 2021. The defendants, six Bulgarian nationals, were accused of conducting espionage on behalf of Russian intelligence and tasked with harming Dobrokhotov, including directives to kill him as part of Kremlin operations. Evidence revealed death threats such as \"Burn him alive on the street\". Dobrokhotov’s work and anti-Kremlin stance made him a target for Russian operatives stationed in the UK. The case underscores Russia's ongoing hostile intelligence activities against dissidents abroad.",
"actor_primary": "Russian intelligence",
"target_primary": null,
"location_text": "United Kingdom",
"location_region": "",
"location_coordinates_lat": 55.378051,
"location_coordinates_lon": -3.435973,
"location_precision": "Regional",
"is_aggressor_signal": true,
"signal_type": "HYBRID_SIGNAL",
"is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
"classification_complete": true,
"hybrid_signal_complete": true,
"classification_confidence": "High",
"classification_rationale": "The article explicitly details hostile actions by a Russian spy ring operating in the UK, including targeted threats and assassination planning against a journalist, with clear attribution and prosecution, making the aggressor classification certain. No significant defensive or preparatory measures by UK authorities are described in this article.",
"event_time_utc": "2025-03-08T00:00:00.000Z",
"end_time_utc": null,
"event_time_confidence": "unknown",
"created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:39.711Z",
"updated_at": "2026-11-04T08:36:03.522Z",
"reliability_band": "strong",
"location_precision_band": "regional",
"time_precision_band": "unknown",
"severity_band": "significant",
"attribution_confidence_band": "high",
"attribution_basis": "single_source"
}Source reliability
C
Info credibility
3
Event time
Mar 8, 2025, 00:00 UTC
Event time confidence
unknown
Location
United Kingdom
Primary actor
Russian intelligence
Country
United Kingdom
Countries
United Kingdom
Tags
Russian spy ring, russian intelligence operations, Espionage, Assassination plot, UK, Russian journalist, Roman Dobrokhotov, Bulgarian operatives, Old Bailey trial, Kremlin hostile operations
Signal
Submitted
Feb 1, 2026, 00:14 UTC
A Russian spy ring operating in the UK targeted journalist Roman Dobrokhotov with death threats and an assassination plot revealed in court on 8 March 2025.
On 8 March 2025, an Old Bailey trial in the United Kingdom exposed a Russian espionage ring involved in targeting Russian investigative journalist Roman Dobrokhotov, who fled Russia in 2021. The defendants, six Bulgarian nationals, were accused of conducting espionage on behalf of Russian intelligence and tasked with harming Dobrokhotov, including directives to kill him as part of Kremlin operations. Evidence revealed death threats such as "Burn him alive on the street". Dobrokhotov’s work and anti-Kremlin stance made him a target for Russian operatives stationed in the UK. The case underscores Russia's ongoing hostile intelligence activities against dissidents abroad.
Confidence: High
The article explicitly details hostile actions by a Russian spy ring operating in the UK, including targeted threats and assassination planning against a journalist, with clear attribution and prosecution, making the aggressor classification certain. No significant defensive or preparatory measures by UK authorities are described in this article.
Source URL
https://theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/08/burn-him-alive-on-the-street-the-russian-journalist-targeted-in-uk-by-spy-ring-tasked-with-his
Published as a hybrid-warfare signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.
{
"id": "8c89d441-40c7-49c9-aec2-9c83d9c59981",
"url": "https://theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/08/burn-him-alive-on-the-street-the-russian-journalist-targeted-in-uk-by-spy-ring-tasked-with-his",
"source": "extension",
"status": "approved",
"category": "Intelligence & Espionage",
"subcategory": "Human Intelligence (HUMINT)",
"incident_type": "Unknown",
"country": "United Kingdom",
"source_reliability": "C",
"info_credibility": "3",
"tags": [
"Russian spy ring",
"russian intelligence operations",
"Espionage",
"Assassination plot",
"UK",
"Russian journalist",
"Roman Dobrokhotov",
"Bulgarian operatives",
"Old Bailey trial",
"Kremlin hostile operations"
],
"nodes": [],
"countries": [
"United Kingdom"
],
"where_text": "Land",
"headline": null,
"description": "The article reports on a Russian spy ring operating in the UK that targeted the investigative journalist Roman Dobrokhotov, who fled Russia in 2021 fearing for his life. The ring, comprising six Bulgarians charged with espionage, was revealed in an Old Bailey trial on 8 March 2025 to have sought to intimidate and potentially assassinate Dobrokhotov under Kremlin orders. Threats included orders to \"burn him alive on the street\". The defendants were alleged to have conducted espionage for Russian intelligence services. The case highlights ongoing Russian hostile intelligence operations against dissident journalists outside Russia, putting Dobrokhotov under severe threat in the UK.",
"summary_short": "A Russian spy ring operating in the UK targeted journalist Roman Dobrokhotov with death threats and an assassination plot revealed in court on 8 March 2025.",
"summary_extended": "On 8 March 2025, an Old Bailey trial in the United Kingdom exposed a Russian espionage ring involved in targeting Russian investigative journalist Roman Dobrokhotov, who fled Russia in 2021. The defendants, six Bulgarian nationals, were accused of conducting espionage on behalf of Russian intelligence and tasked with harming Dobrokhotov, including directives to kill him as part of Kremlin operations. Evidence revealed death threats such as \"Burn him alive on the street\". Dobrokhotov’s work and anti-Kremlin stance made him a target for Russian operatives stationed in the UK. The case underscores Russia's ongoing hostile intelligence activities against dissidents abroad.",
"actor_primary": "Russian intelligence",
"target_primary": null,
"location_text": "United Kingdom",
"location_region": "",
"location_coordinates_lat": 55.378051,
"location_coordinates_lon": -3.435973,
"location_precision": "Regional",
"is_aggressor_signal": true,
"signal_type": "HYBRID_SIGNAL",
"is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
"classification_complete": true,
"hybrid_signal_complete": true,
"classification_confidence": "High",
"classification_rationale": "The article explicitly details hostile actions by a Russian spy ring operating in the UK, including targeted threats and assassination planning against a journalist, with clear attribution and prosecution, making the aggressor classification certain. No significant defensive or preparatory measures by UK authorities are described in this article.",
"event_time_utc": "2025-03-08T00:00:00.000Z",
"end_time_utc": null,
"event_time_confidence": "unknown",
"created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:39.711Z",
"updated_at": "2026-11-04T08:36:03.522Z",
"reliability_band": "strong",
"location_precision_band": "regional",
"time_precision_band": "unknown",
"severity_band": "significant",
"attribution_confidence_band": "high",
"attribution_basis": "single_source"
}Source reliability
C
Info credibility
3
Event time
Mar 8, 2025, 00:00 UTC
Event time confidence
unknown
Location
United Kingdom
Primary actor
Russian intelligence
Country
United Kingdom
Countries
United Kingdom
Tags
Russian spy ring, russian intelligence operations, Espionage, Assassination plot, UK, Russian journalist, Roman Dobrokhotov, Bulgarian operatives, Old Bailey trial, Kremlin hostile operations