The case of three Bulgarians who were found guilty on Friday of spying for Russia makes the front of several papers. The Daily Express says the agents “undermined our security and safety”. The paper quotes a senior Met Police officer as saying it was a “clear example” of Russia hiring criminals and that “we will see more of that”.
The Daily Mail asks how many more Russian spy cells are “lurking” in Britain. It says the spy ring received orders directly from Moscow and was run from a Great Yarmouth guesthouse. The agents “passed secrets to Russian intelligence for almost three years”, the paper says. It says that, according to Scotland Yard, a fifth of British counter-terror policing is now focused on tackling “a surge of state-backed threats”.
“Putin’s spooks snared,” says the Mirror. Vanya Gaberova, 30, Katrin Ivanova, 33, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, are now facing jail, the paper reports.
The Daily Telegraph focuses on the man who ran the spy ring in Britain, Jan Marsalek. The paper says it has carried out a year-long investigation into Marsalek – who faces no charges in the UK and is believed to be in hiding – which can now be reported for the first time after the ring of agents he was operating in Britain was found guilty. Security sources tell the Telegraph that Marsalek was previously “co-operating” with rival secret services around the world including MI6 and the Americans.
A picture of one of the agents, Vanya Gaberova, is featured on the front of the Daily Star as an inset picture, which the paper captions as “the spy who loved the UK”. But the paper’s main story reports that parts of Britain could hit 20C this weekend – making it “hotter than Ibiza”. The paper’s thought for the day adds: “Budgie smugglers at the ready.”
Two of the “Kremlin spies” are pictured on front of the Financial Times. But the paper’s top story is on the chair of the US Federal Reserve, who has reportedly played down concerns over US growth and said the economy remained “in good shape”. It comes after a series of U-turns by the Trump administration over tariffs.
The Times reports on some of the latest comments from US President Donald Trump, who said he finds it “easier” to deal with Russia than Ukraine. Asked whether he thought President Vladimir Putin was taking advantage of the current pause in military aid by intensifying bombing, Trump said he was “doing what anybody else would do”.
The Sun’s top story is on former Nottingham Forest and England captain Stuart Pearce, who reportedly suffered a medical emergency while on a Virgin Atlantic flight from Las Vegas to Heathrow. The flight was diverted to Canada where Pearce is now said to be recovering in hospital.
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