Russian espionage in Austria: threats to journalists rise!

Russian espionage in Austria: threats to journalists rise!

Wien, Österreich - The activities of Russian secret services in Europe are increasing, a development that does not remain unnoticed in Austria. On December 14, 2020, the investigative team from Bellingcat and The insider A detailed research on FSB employees who were connected to the poison critic Alexe Nawalny. These revelations led to a reaction of the FSB, which was commissioned on the same day, to determine the source of the information. A high -ranking source of intelligence indicated that the instruction to determine Wladimir Putin himself came.

In this context, the case of the former Wirecard banker, Matthias Marsalek, is also relevant. On December 14, 2020, Marsalek contacted a friend in Great Britain to initiate investigations against journalists Christo Grozev. These incidents throw a light on the far -reaching and often secret machinations of the Russian security apparatus, which also take place outside of Russia.

The risks for journalists

Christo Grozev was the goal of threats based on his publications on the FSB, including the possibility of kidnapping or even murder. In 2023, he received an alarming call from US criminal prosecution authorities who warned him that a “team” was waiting for him in Europe. In addition, Austrian authorities Grozev informed about monitoring by Bulgarian agents who came too close to him. These developments, including a break -in in which a computer has been stolen, suggests that professional espionage operations of Russian services run in Austria, which have far -reaching implications.

The operation against Grozev is the only greater espionage activity of Russian services in Austria since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression in 2022. It turns out that Russia is increasingly relating to outsourcing and that less trained people are also using for such operations. Grozev criticized the unprofessionalism of the burglars who were unable to de -escalate the situation.

criminal proceedings against Russian police officers

In addition to the espionage activities, there are also legal consequences for Russian civil servants. A police officer from Samara, Lieutenant Kirill C., faces criminal proceedings for abuse of office because he is said to have given information about FSB agents to Alexej Nawalny. Stern reported that Kirill C. has granted. He threatens up to ten years in prison, which illustrates the seriousness of the situation.

The information that Nawalny - which was poisoned with the Novichok nerve poison in 2020 - was presumably acquired on the black market in Russia. The Kremlin denies the poisoning, but admits Nawalny's surveillance, which shows how the Russian state deals with these allegations.

Russian secret services under pressure

The Federal Center for Political Education are increasingly uninhibited. The head of the British MI6, Sir Richard Moore, recently said that these organizations have been in war mode since 2011/12. Different operational approaches that you usually make more careful during peace disappear because they act more active and risk -proof. Putin interprets protests and critical voices as part of a hybrid war of the West against Russia, which reinforces repression against its own population.

In this overarching context, the complex and dangerous situation is illustrated in which both journalists and whistleblowers are in dealing with the Russian state. It remains to be seen how these dynamic and often restrictive conditions will further influence the political climate in Europe.