Russian Espionage Affair in Austria: A Targeted Disinformation Campaign in the Heart of Europe
Austria is once again at the center of an espionage scandal: The Directorate for State Security and Intelligence (DSN) has uncovered an extensive Russian disinformation campaign aimed at manipulating public opinion in favor of Russia and to the detriment of Ukraine.
The public remains sensitized: The danger of manipulation and deception through disinformation is real - and the defense of democratic values requires vigilance and determination. / Picture: © BMI Bundesministerium für Inneres / Alexander Tuma
A Bulgarian national who is suspected of having acted on behalf of Russian intelligence services plays a central role in this. This case is one in a series of espionage scandals that have rocked the country in recent years and raises the question of the vulnerability of Western democracies to targeted disinformation.
A network of deception
At the center of the investigation is a Bulgarian woman who was arrested in Vienna in December 2024. The DSN discovered explosive information through the analysis of data carriers seized during a house search: The suspect is said to have been part of a Russian-controlled cell that became active a few weeks after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022. This cell aimed to influence public and political opinion in German-speaking countries - especially in Austria - against Ukraine and its president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The masterminds used both online and offline campaigns. While false information and manipulative narratives were deliberately spread on the internet, the perpetrators also made their presence felt through physical actions such as stickers and graffiti. Particularly explosive: the cell used right-wing extremist symbolism to portray Ukraine as right-wing extremist and nationalist - a narrative that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin repeatedly propagates. The aim was to create the impression that the protagonists were pro-Ukrainian activists to deliberately distort public perception.
Connections to Great Britain and Russia
This covert operation was uncovered by carefully analyzing chat messages and other digital evidence. This revealed that the suspect served as an intelligence contact person and was also responsible for distributing propaganda material in Germany and Austria. The documentation of the actions carried out and their forwarding to accomplices in Russia and Great Britain prove the far-reaching connections of this cell.
Particularly explosive: In a spectacular espionage case in London, two women and a man of Bulgarian nationality were recently found guilty of allegedly acting on behalf of former Wirecard manager Jan Marsalek. Marsalek, who fled to Russia, is suspected of having set up a spy network for Russian secret services. There are also links to this affair in Austria: the former constitutional protection officer Egisto Ott and the former head of department Martin Weiss are suspected of having passed on secret information to Marsalek.
Danger for democracy
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) was delighted with the successful discovery and praised the work of the investigating authorities, as reported by ORF. “The spread of false narratives, fake news, and manipulative content undermines trust in our institutions and jeopardizes social cohesion,” explained State Secretary Jörg Leichtfried (SPÖ). “We must not allow opinion-forming in politics and in the public sphere to be controlled from the outside. We Austrians prefer to form our own opinions.”
MEP Helmut Brandstätter (NEOS) also welcomed the clarification of the disinformation campaign and pointed out the spread of pro-Russian narratives by right-wing media in this context. He particularly criticized the role of the FPÖ, which he said actively supported and spread such disinformation campaigns.
Disinformation as hybrid warfare
The exposure of this espionage affair shows once again that disinformation is a central instrument of modern hybrid warfare. Since the beginning of its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia has been using targeted misinformation to destabilize social cohesion in Western countries and create pro-Russian sentiment.
In the case of Austria, it is now being examined whether charges will be brought against the individuals involved. The investigations are ongoing and politicians are calling for the DSN to be strengthened in order to counter such threats even more effectively in the future.