Busted for many trips
Suspected Russian spy arrested in Austria
12/19/2022, 1:09 p.m
Russia is said to have smuggled spies into many countries, including Austria. There, investigators are now arresting a man who was supposed to supply intelligence services with information on the reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He betrays himself with numerous trips and real estate purchases, although he has hardly any income.
According to Austrian investigators, a 39-year-old Greek man was suspected of being a spy for the Russian military intelligence service GRU. The man of Russian descent is suspected of having provided information on political and social discourses in Austria in connection with the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, announced the Ministry of the Interior in Vienna. The investigations by the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence were conducted on behalf of the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office and in close international cooperation.
The 39-year-old, who is said to have received special military training in Russia, has been in contact with diplomats and various intelligence services and was in Moscow shortly before and during the military invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, the ministry said. He may have provided information to assess foreign reactions to the invasion, it said.
Among other things, a signal detector for detecting listening devices and hidden cameras as well as a splinter protection suit were found on the suspect, who is currently at large. According to the information, mobile phones and computers with ten million files were also secured.
The 39-year-old made himself suspicious due to his many trips. From 2018 to the beginning of 2022 he made a total of 65 trips to other European countries as well as to Russia, Belarus, Turkey and Georgia and acquired several properties in Vienna, Russia and Greece, although officially he only had low income, according to the ministry .