Roussev wrote that the police had very poor control of the UK’s east coast, which is why the area was frequently being taken advantage of by illegal migrants. “Dobrokhotov would be an illegal migrant in reverse!” — quipped Marsalek. They worked out a detailed plan that would involve several men — including former MMA fighter Ivan Stoyanov — in a violent attack. The scheme was replete with cars bearing fake license plates, a route that avoided traffic surveillance cameras, and two speed boats that would need to be sunk at the end of the operation.

The idea was to hand over Roman to the Russian security services, but Marsalek was worried about the logistics: “The problem is how to pick him up in international waters. I'm not sure the guys here would trust our abilities enough to put us in command of a submarine.”

The perpetrators also discussed a possible alternative: assassination. Roussev suggested staging an “accident in the shower,” but Marsalek dismissed the idea as insufficiently dramatic: “Maybe burn him alive in the street, spray him with some super strong acid, VX, like the North Koreans, or ricin .... An accident in the shower won't deter others. We need more drama!”

Thankfully, even the FSB seemed wary of such outlandish schemes. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 raised global tensions to a fever pitch. However vengeful the Kremlin felt after our Navalny exposure — and about our subsequent investigations — it seemed less willing to risk a full-blown scandal on foreign soil.

The downfall of my would-be kidnappers

By late 2022, the Kremlin officially declared me “wanted” in connection with aiding Roman’s efforts to “illegally cross the Russian border.” The accusation was absurd, given that Roman had left, rather than entered, the country. Still, Marsalek took it as a sign the FSB might get “legal” grounds for our extradition. His text messages to Roussev were chilling.

Marsalek: “The arrest warrant is apparently the legal framework needed for a kidnapping. Personally, I find Grozev not to be a very valuable target but apparently Putin seriously hates him.”

Roussev: “I guess.. a more ‘efficient’ and strong message will not be kidnapping Grozev .. but actually killing him like either: 1) Stepan Bandera in Germany or 2) killing him like Leon Trotsky in Mexico.”

Marsalek: “I agree. Though an axe is yesterday's weapon. Better a sledgehammer, Wagner-style. I'll pass it on.”

One of Marsalek’s ideas about my own liquidation sounded like a film-noir fantasy. “Let’s hire an ISIS suicide bomber and have him blow himself next to Grozev in the street.” Another fantasy was more appropriate for a Mission Impossible film: I would be kidnapped by boat to Syria, while someone wearing a latex mask with my face would fly to Moscow to get arrested on camera.

Before they could attempt any new gambit, however, British authorities moved in. In January 2023, law enforcement raided the group’s makeshift operations base, discovering forged IDs, hidden cameras, listening devices, and a mass of incriminating messages tying them directly to Marsalek — and by extension, to the FSB. Under the weight of this evidence, two of the six suspects turned state’s witness. By mid-February 2023, their Old Bailey trial ended with a small measure of justice: unanimous guilty verdicts.