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Austria's domestic intelligence agency unearthed evidence of the
operation as it analyzed devices found in a search of the
woman's home, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. It said
the investigation showed that a few weeks after Russia launched
its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a cell working for
Russian intelligence was set up and planned a large-scale
disinformation campaign in German-speaking countries,
particularly Austria.
The group was active online but also used stickers and graffiti
with content such as far-right symbols and nationalist
statements meant to look like pro-Ukrainian activists were
responsible for them, according to the Interior Ministry.
The Bulgarian suspect, whose name wasn't released, is believed
to have played a significant role in the effort and acted as an
intelligence contact, the ministry said, adding that she has
admitted working for the cell, particularly in 2022.
A year ago, Austria's biggest espionage scandal in decades
erupted with the arrest of a former Austrian intelligence
officer, who was accused among other things of handing over
cellphone data of former high-ranking Austrian officials to
Russian intelligence and helping plot a burglary at a prominent
journalist’s apartment.
The ex-officer, who was later released from custody, is
suspected of having provided sensitive information to Jan
Marsalek, a fugitive fellow Austrian wanted on suspicion of
fraud since the collapse in 2020 of German payment company
Wirecard, where he was the chief operating officer. The arrest
warrant said chat messages provided by British authorities link
Marsalek directly to Russia's FSB intelligence agency.
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