A Russian spy ring planned to create deep-fake porn of the Kazakh president’s son, a court has heard.

The gang plotted to stage fake attacks against Kazakh targets so that Vladimir Putin’s secret services could appear to come to the country’s aid and gain favour, messages reveal.

Jan Marsalek, a Russian agent, and Orlin Roussev, the Bulgarian leader of the UK-based spy ring, also discussed dousing the Kazakh embassy in London with pig’s blood, hacking their power plants and leaking sex videos, the Old Bailey was told.

The details emerged during the trial of Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, who all deny conspiracy to spy on behalf of Russia. Roussev, 46, and Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, have already pleaded guilty to the charge.

The jury will hear about a series of six operations with a Russian agent using the alias “Rupert Ticz”, who the prosecution allege is Austrian Jan Marsalek, between 2020 and 2023.