Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation Network Posing as ‘Ukrainian Nazis’ Exposed in Austria

In Austria, authorities uncovered a pro-Russian agent network linked to the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation that ran a disinformation campaign while posing as “Ukrainian Nazis.”

The Austrian magazine profil reported this, citing the findings of a journalistic investigation.

According to the report, the operation was not limited to Austria but also targeted several other European countries.

The network was coordinated by Jan Marsalek, an Austrian citizen and former top executive of Wirecard, who disappeared after the company’s collapse and, according to investigators, has been cooperating with Russian intelligence services for a long time.

Starting in 2022, Marsalek, together with Bulgarian national Orlin Rusev, who was later arrested in London, organized the production and placement of stickers and graffiti featuring far-right and neo-Nazi symbols in public places.

The campaign aimed to create the impression that Ukrainians were spreading this symbolism.

Correspondence between the organizers, reviewed by journalists, indicates a deliberate attempt to link Nazi symbolism to Ukraine.

Far-right symbols were designed in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, combined with the slogan “Glory to Ukraine,” and supplemented with insulting or provocative messages directed against Russians.

In addition, members of the network created several websites that mimicked what were presented as European branches of Ukraine’s Azov Regiment.

In this way, the operation aimed to discredit Ukraine, reinforce Russian propaganda narratives, and shape a false perception within European society about the spread of “Ukrainian neo-Nazism.”

Militarnyi previously reported that in May 2025, six Bulgarian citizens were convicted in the United Kingdom of spying for Russia.

A London court delivered the verdict. It is noted that 47-year-old Orlin Rusev, who investigators said was the leader of the espionage group and who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison for taking part in six operations that endangered the UK’s national security.

His deputy, 44-year-old Biser Dzhambazov, who also pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 10 years and 2 months in prison.

Thirty-three-year-old Katrin Ivanova, one of two women whom law enforcement says were recruited by Dzhambazov for espionage purposes, was sentenced to 9 years and 8 months in prison.

The other woman, 30-year-old Vanya Gaberova, was sentenced to 6 years, 8 months, and 3 weeks in prison.

Another member of the group, 39-year-old Tihomir Ivanchev, was sentenced to 8 years in prison, taking into account good behavior and the fact that his involvement in the espionage network had ended before their arrest in 2023.