Russian Disinformation Campaign Exposed in Austria

A Russian disinformation campaign targeting the condemnation of Ukraine has been uncovered in Austria.

The media Kurier reported on this.

The Austrian Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism revealed that a Bulgarian citizen is under suspicion for espionage on behalf of Russia, as well as for spreading disinformation and attempting to destabilize the situation.

The aim of these actions was to manipulate public and political opinion to the detriment of Ukraine and in favor of Russia.

“The spread of false narratives, fake news, and manipulative content undermines trust in our institutions and threatens social cohesion,” Jörg Leichtfried, the State Secretary, reported.

According to Austrian intelligence services, such actions could have influenced elections, caused political instability, and jeopardized democratic society.

“We must not allow the formation of political and public opinion to be controlled from the outside. We, Austrians, prefer to form our own opinions,” he added.

The exposure of the Russian agent took place during a special operation by the DSN to analyze data storage devices that were seized during a search of her home last December.

The investigation confirmed that the campaign began just a few weeks after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and was targeted at German-speaking countries, including Austria.

Currently, Austrian intelligence services know that the suspect was a contact person for intelligence and received relevant instructions.

She forwarded this information to other agents in Germany and the United Kingdom, where a court hearing recently took place regarding Bulgarian citizens who were working for Russian intelligence.

Militarnyi previously reported that three Bulgarian citizens suspected of secretly collaborating with Russia were sentenced for espionage.