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Austria’s intelligence agency is investigating a Bulgarian national, linked to Wirecard fugitive Jan Marsalek, for alleged espionage and for abetting a Russian campaign to spread disinformation about Ukraine.
Investigators from the Directorate for State Protection and Intelligence (DSN) had found evidence of an “extensive Russian disinformation campaign” in the country, the government said on Monday.
The investigation revealed that a cell working for the Russian intelligence service had become active a few weeks after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The cell had planned a broad disinformation campaign in German-speaking countries, with a focus on Austria.
A government official with knowledge of the investigation said the Bulgarian woman had confirmed having ties to Marsalek, one of the most wanted men in Europe.
Marsalek was the chief operating officer at German fintech Wirecard, which was exposed as a fraud by the Financial Times and collapsed in 2020.
The discovery by Austrian investigators follows the conclusion of a UK trial earlier this month, in which six Bulgarian nationals were either convicted of spying for Russia or had already pleaded guilty.
According to the UK indictment, the Bulgarians were involved in a conspiracy directed by Marsalek, who was working on behalf of Moscow’s intelligence agencies. Marsalek — an Austrian national who fled to Russia when the payments company collapsed — was running the UK-based Bulgarian group under the alias Rupert Ticz.
“The spread of false narratives, fake news and manipulative content undermines trust in our institutions and endangers social cohesion,” said Austria’s state secretary Jörg Leichtfried.
The DSN had discovered details of the operation after seizing data storage devices in a raid at the Bulgarian woman’s home in December.
She admitted to having worked for the cell that was posing as a pro-Ukrainian group but was in fact aiming to sway public opinion against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The cell was using both online and offline tactics such as graffiti and stickers.
The suspect documented the actions that had taken place, and these documents were also passed on to accomplices residing in Russia and in the UK.
Russian intelligence services might also have commissioned her to distribute this content in Germany and Austria, the Austrian government said.
“Given the global security situation and the threats to our freedom, the DSN’s protective capabilities must be expanded,” Leichtfried said.
Austria is a militarily neutral member of the EU and is home to many international organisations and diplomatic missions, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, Opec and various UN agencies. However, it has turned a blind eye to undercover intelligence activity on its soil.
The rise in spying in Vienna in recent years has drawn opprobrium from allies and undermined the country’s position among increasingly security-conscious European neighbours.
Austria’s centrist parties last month formed a new coalition government after months of uncertainty.
The result was a relief to many EU allies because it avoided the prospect of a government led by the far right with pro-Russian sentiment. The far-right Freedom party (FPÖ) came first in parliamentary elections last year in a historic victory with just under 29 per cent of the vote.
