Austrian authorities announced on Monday that they have uncovered a Russian-led campaign designed to spread disinformation about Ukraine, following the arrest of a Bulgarian woman in December accused of espionage for Russia.
The investigation, conducted by Austria’s domestic intelligence agency, revealed evidence of this operation while analyzing devices seized during a search of the suspect’s home. The Austrian Interior Ministry reported that the operation appears to have been initiated a few weeks after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with a network established to conduct a widespread disinformation campaign in German-speaking nations, especially Austria.
The group utilized online platforms, along with physical methods like stickers and graffiti bearing far-right symbols and nationalist slogans, intended to imply they were the work of pro-Ukrainian activists, according to the Interior Ministry.
The identity of the Bulgarian suspect has not been disclosed, but authorities believe she played a significant role, serving as an intelligence contact and admitting to her involvement with the network, particularly in 2022.
Last year, Austria faced its most significant espionage scandal in decades when a former intelligence officer was arrested for allegedly passing cellphone data of high-ranking Austrian officials to Russian intelligence and participating in a plan to burglarize a prominent journalist’s apartment.
This former officer, who was later released from custody, is also suspected of providing sensitive information to Jan Marsalek, an Austrian fugitive wanted for fraud following the 2020 collapse of the German payment company Wirecard, where he was COO. According to the arrest warrant, chat messages supplied by British authorities directly link Marsalek to Russia’s FSB intelligence agency.
Credit: ABC News
