Two women wey be part of one Russian spy network wey dem dey run from UK don get name for di first time today afta one BBC investigation

Di Bulgarian nationals, Cvetelina Gencheva and Tsvetanka Doncheva, follow for di surveillance operations wey di spy group do against pipo wey dem dey monitor.

But di two women no gree tok wen BBC reach out to dem.

Ms. Gencheva, wey dey work for airline, cut call wen dem contact am for phone, and later say she no wan tok about di mata for letter wey dem send.

Ms. Doncheva deny say she by hersef and waka comot wen dem approach am near her house for Vienna, Austria.

Six oda Bulgarians dey wait for sentencing for London sake of di role wey dem play for di Russian spying network.

Police describe di network as one "highly sophisticated" operation wey put pipo life for danger.

Three pipo plead guilty, say dem know say dem dey work for Russia, while anoda three wey face trial for di Old Bailey dem no fit convince di jury say dem no do am.

Di spy group dey controlled from abroad by Jan Marsalek, one Austrian businessman wey work for Germany bifor e turn Russian intelligence asset. Di group target include journalists wey don investigate Russian espionage. One of dem, Roman Dobrokhotov, tell BBC say e believe say na Vladimir Putin dey behind evri tin.

For court, dem hear about two mystery women wey join for di surveillance operations across Europe.

BBC use open source digital research and talk to some people to track di women down and confirm dia identities.

Di mystery airline worker

Ms. Gencheva, wey dey live for di Bulgarian capital, Sofia, use her work for di airline industry take get private flight details of di pipo wey di spy group dey target.

Di spies go follow di pipo enta plane, book seat near dem, and even see wetin dem dey type for dia phone. One time, dem even fit see and note di PIN number for journalist Roman Dobrokhotov phone.

Ms. Gencheva join di team wey dem send go Berlin to spy on Mr. Dobrokhotov she dey inside chat groups wit three of di pipo wey UK convict for spying—di cell leader Orlin Roussev, Biser Dzhambazov, and Katrin Ivanova—na inside dis chats dem dey co-ordinate di spying work.

She provide flight details for journalist Christo Grozev and also get task to gada as plenty travel information as possible for anoda target, Russian dissident Kirill Kachur.

For di Old Bailey trial, dem call di mystery airline worker "Cvetka" or "Sveti."

BBC first identify Ms. Gencheva through her social media profiles. For Facebook, she don interact wit Katrin Ivanova and Biser Dzhambazov.

From dia, we find say she be airline worker.

Her LinkedIn profile show say she don work for ticket sales for different travel companies. Bulgarian company records also show say she be di sole owner of International Aviation Consult.

Screen captures of travel data wey dem find for a hard drive wey belong to di spy cell leader, Roussev, come from airline industry software wey sabi as "Amadeus."

For her LinkedIn profile, Ms. Gencheva even list say she sabi use di software well.

Afta BBC research identify Ms. Gencheva, one source confam to BBC say Bulgarian security services sabi her as person wey get connection to di spy network. But she neva dey charged wit any crime.

We contact Ms. Gencheva for one Bulgarian phone number wey she dey use for real estate work. Afta she hear say na BBC News dey call and dem dey record di call, she cut di call sharply, no even wait hear di reason for di call.

For one letter we send her show di evidence wey dem get about her. She reply say she "no wan tok about di case" and no gree make dem use her name. She write di response for Bulgarian and claim say she no sabi English well. But for her public LinkedIn profile, she list her English skill as "full professional proficiency" and even tok say she study for English up to degree level.

Di woman for Vienna

Ms. Doncheva help spy on investigative journalist Christo Grozev for Vienna by renting a flat opposite wia e dey live and set up a camera to take pictures of im house.

She also collect money to run one anti-Ukraine propaganda campaign wey include to put stickers for different places, including Vienna Soviet war memorial, to make Ukraine supporters look like neo-Nazis.

BBC identify Ms. Doncheva through her social media profiles afta di Old Bailey trial tok about one "Tsveti" wey work wit di spy group. Sources for Austria later confam say na she be di pesin.

For Vienna, she meet wit at least three of di pipo wey UK convict for spying—Vanya Gaberova, Biser Dzhambazov, and Katrin Ivanova.

Ms. Doncheva also dey involved for spying on senior Austrian officials, including di head of di Secret Service, Omar Haijawi-Pirchner anoda target na Austrian investigative journalist Anna Thalhammer, wey don write about Russian espionage.

She no get work, and Austrian police arrest her for December.

Court documents wey Austrian magazines Profil and Falter first publish, and wey BBC later see tok say she dey "strongly suspected of committing secret intelligence crimes against Austria".

She tell investigators say na her long-time friend, Vanya Gaberova—one of di six Bulgarians wey dey wait for sentencing send her to do di surveillance. She claim say Gaberova give her list of names, addresses, and fotos.

She tell police say di odas deceive her dem first tok say dem dey run one "student project," later dem tell her say dem dey work for Interpol. But Austrian investigators tok say e no make sense at all say Ms. Doncheva believe dis kind "dubious stories."

Di documents also reveal say di spy network wey she join dey controlled by Jan Marsalek from Moscow on behalf of Russian intelligence services evidence wey investigators seize show say Marsalek and UK spy cell leader Orlin Roussev contract her for di spying job.

Di documents tok say na Marsalek give order tell dem say Anna Thalhammer na di target. Ms. Doncheva confess to police say she take foto of di journalist former workplace and even try watch her from one restaurant nearby.

Ms. Thalhammer, wey now be editor for Austrian news magazine Profil, tell BBC say na police first inform her last year say dem dey spy on her, and now she sabi say dem don dey watch her for some time.

"She (Ms. Doncheva) just siddon for front of di office inside one fine fish restaurant. I fit recommend am, e good," she tok. She complain say di place cost too much, say she need more money. Dem come give her di money."

She add say "dat woman" (Ms. Doncheva) also spy on plenty "high-ranked pipo."

Ms. Thalhammer no sabi evriwia wey dem follow am go, but she know say some of her sources don dey exposed and dem even try break enta dia houses.

She tok say "Vienna na di capital of spies" but nobody don ever face serious punishment for espionage for di city because "di law here dey favour spies."

"I dey frustrated, and honestly, I fear small," she add. "I dey live alone wit my daughter. No be better feeling to know say di state no dey protect journalists, politicians, or even anybodi wey dem dey threaten."

Ms. Doncheva na pesin wey dey use social media well well e even reach di point wey her cat get TikTok account.

For 2022 and 2023, she post one picture of herself for Facebook wia she wear Vladimir Putin T-shirt. Somebody comment say for Russia, plenty women wan born Putin pikin. Ms. Doncheva reply say "no be only for Russia," den she add one lip-licking emoji.

Wen BBC approach her for one street for Vienna, she deny say she be hersef and refuse ansa any kwesion. But we don confam say na Ms. Doncheva be di woman.

Wen BBC approach her, she wear clothes and carry items wey dem don see bifor for Ms. Doncheva social media posts: one obvious blue tracksuit, glass, and one patterned mobile phone case.

We also see her enta Ms. Doncheva registered home address less dan 20 minutes afta she deny say she be Ms. Doncheva.

She neva respond to di letter wey give her chance to tok her own side.

Di two women work togeda wit di six Bulgarians wey dem convict for conspiring to spy for Russia.

UK police recover almost 80,000 Telegram messages between Roussev and him controller, Marsalek.

Di messages expose different operations wey di spy group don run for years bifor February 2023, wen police disrupt dia activities.

Di spies wey base for UK even target Ukrainian sojas wey dem believe say dey train for US military base for Germany. Roussev and Marsalek even discuss plan to kidnap and kill journalists Christo Grozev and Roman Dobrokhotov.

Unlike di six spies wey UK convict, Ms. Doncheva and Ms. Gencheva neva enta police custody and dem neva convict dem of any offence.

Austrian public prosecutor bin request make dem put Ms. Doncheva for pre-trial detention, but court reject di request and release her.

Austrian court documents, dem tok say Ms. Doncheva "no get risk" of running away becos she dey "socially integrated" for di kontri and dey take care of her mama di court also tok say di risk say she go commit anoda crime no too high, since di oda pipo wey dey involve don already dey prison for UK.

Ms. Thalhammer tell BBC say she "no fit understand" why dem release di pesin wey spy on her.

"Maybe [dem] no suppose believe evritin wey spy tok," she add.

She tok say Austrian secret service believe say oda spy groups still dey active and dem neva stop work, even after di arrest of di six Bulgarians for UK.

Ms. Gencheva still dey free for Bulgaria, dey present herself as experienced airline and travel industry professional.

Afta BBC contact her, she change her profile name for Facebook and LinkedIn, but she still list her proficiency with Amadeus airline software.