Austria Exposes Russian FSB Network Posing as “Ukrainian Nazis” to Sway Public Opinion Against Ukraine

Chat logs reviewed by Austria’s Profil magazine show fugitive former Wirecard executive Jan Marsalek coordinating a Russian intelligence-linked influence operation that used fake “pro-Ukraine” graffiti and stickers—some featuring neo-Nazi symbolism—on Vienna streets to stir backlash against Ukraine, according to Profil on December 12. 

The reporting builds on an Austrian domestic intelligence investigation announced in March 2025 after the detention of a Bulgarian woman accused of spying for Russia, which authorities said led them to evidence of a cell set up shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to push disinformation in German-speaking countries.

Authorities stated that the effort included street-level propaganda, such as stickers and graffiti, designed to appear as if it were created by pro-Ukrainian activists.

In the messages cited by Profil, Marsalek and his associate Orlin Roussev discussed launching a network of websites presenting themselves as European offshoots of Ukraine’s Azov unit, including “WeAreAzov.eu,” “NousSommesAzov.fr,” and “WirSindAzov.de,” and then amplifying the effort with coordinated stencil and sticker campaigns in European cities. 

Profil added that photos shared among the group showed yellow stickers with the “Wolfsangel” symbol  placed in Vienna’s Kaiserstraße area, alongside other messaging intended to inflame attitudes toward Ukraine while obscuring Moscow’s role. 

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Profil said a Bulgarian woman identified as Tsveti D. photographed the Vienna materials and later admitted involvement to authorities while claiming she did not know she was acting for Russia, and the magazine reported the group paid for design work and production, including a reported of about $1,321 for sticker and stencil design and about $2,861 for stickers, with one message citing roughly 160 kilograms of stickers before cutting and packaging. 

The Profil account ties the Vienna activity to a broader Marsalek-linked network examined by British authorities, after a UK case in which six Bulgarian nationals were jailed in May 2025 for spying activities that investigators said were coordinated through extensive digital communications with Marsalek. 

Earlier, it was reported that Austrian intelligence uncovered a Russia-directed operation that used street-level propaganda such as stickers and graffiti with far-right symbols made to appear “pro-Ukraine” in order to discredit Ukraine, following the detention of a Bulgarian suspect.

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