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POLITICS

Austria warns Russia’s ‘hybrid warfare’ against Europe to intensify

The Austrian Armed Forces released its yearly risk assessment report, noting the main threats facing the country in 2024 include Russia's 'hybrid warfare' against Europe. Here's what you need to know.

The military honor guard of the Austrian Armed Forces. Photo: ALEX HALADA / AFP
(Photo: ALEX HALADA / AFP)

The Austrian Armed Forces have warned of a “very high” risk of further disruption between Russia and the European Union, according to Major General Peter Vorhofer during a presentation of the 2024 risk assessment report.

“This means that there is a high probability that we will experience hybrid warfare in 2024,” said Vorhofer. The new military “disorder” era will accompany the world and Austria for “at least another two decades”.

According to the report, the “range of possibilities” in a “hybrid” warfare extends from systematic disinformation campaigns, political provocations, and threats to the organisation of migration movements and their misuse as a weapon to destabilise individual EU member states or the Union as a whole.

Disinformation, migration and supply risks: What are the risks facing Austria?

The Austrian Military highlights “disinformation” as an “underestimated threat” facing the country. “A web of ‘alternative facts’, fake news and disinformation is putting increasing pressure on the truth”, the report reads. The military also stated that disinformation is increasingly becoming a strategic weapon in war, influencing public opinion. 

READ ALSO: Austrians warned as country remains dependent on Russia for gas supplies

“In the run-up to the European elections, National Council elections and US presidential elections, disinformation campaigns can be expected”, the report stated.

According to the report, migration flows in Austria also “harbours social risks”, but Austria should promote the opportunities and potential of regular migration. The report goes: “​​The lack of or inadequate solutions for receiving migrants and refugees, resilient immigration structures and an effective repatriation process creates a feeling of chaos and loss of control. This strengthens populist parties”.

READ ALSO: How much of a threat is Austria’s far-right Identitarian Movement?

Another risk noted by the military is supply risks, as the group warns of a need to make dependencies of raw materials “smarter and more diversified from the outset”. In that sense, the Army also asked for inter-ministerial cooperation to protect critical infrastructure in Austria. 

They added: “Artificial intelligence represents a security challenge in itself as the connectivity and digitalisation of specific information by AI will enable the exploitation of data on an as yet unforeseeable scale”.

Also when it comes to technology, the Army warned that cyber threats continue to pose a risk to democracy. “Dealing with these threats will require a joined-up approach, both domestically and at the EU level”, they said.

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POLITICS

Austrian in Russia spying probe freed from detention

An Austrian court on Wednesday ordered a former intelligence officer suspected of spying for Russia released from detention, as investigators continue probing the case.

Austrian in Russia spying probe freed from detention

Egisto Ott — a former agent of the now-defunct Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (BVT) — was arrested in late March.

He was accused of “systematically” providing information to the Russian secret services, allegations that have shaken the nation.

The Vienna high court ordered Ott’s release, saying in a statement that there was no risk of him committing crimes once he was released. However, it added that he remained under investigation for suspected crimes.

Ott was suspended from his post in 2017 amid spying allegations and briefly arrested in 2021 on these same accusations.

He was detained in March after London said his name had come up in written messages exchanged between a suspected spy arrested in Britain and Jan Marsalek.

READ ALSO: Austrian ex-minister exiled in Russia denies she is ‘Kremlin agent’

Marsalek, the Austrian former chief operating officer of payments firm Wirecard, fled Germany in 2020—reportedly to Russia—over fraud allegations following the company’s spectacular collapse.

Based on the seized messages, Ott was accused of passing the smartphone data of three senior officials to Russia in exchange for payment.

According to the arrest warrant obtained by AFP, he is also accused of having supplied a laptop containing confidential documents.

Spying on Russia critics

Suspected of having helped Marsalek, Ott is accused, too, of having spied on Russia critics.

They included Christo Grozev, a journalist with the Bellingcat investigative website who was investigating Moscow’s spy networks. He left Vienna after his apartment was broken into.

Contacted by AFP before his most recent arrest, Ott denied any accusation of spying for Russia.

Since his arrest, information from the prosecution has leaked, according to which moles close to the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) are still operating in Vienna.

READ ALSO: Austria’s spy arrest puts Cold War spotlight back on Vienna

The FPOe used to have a “cooperation pact” with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s party.

It governed Austria as a junior partner in a coalition government from 2017 to 2019, and polls suggest it could win the national elections in September.

The authorities raided the country’s intelligence service during the current FPOe leader Herbert Kickl’s tenure as interior minister in 2018, seriously damaging its reputation.

After Ott’s arrest, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer called for heightened security in the country.

The EU country of nine million has traditionally seen itself as a bridge between the East and West, but in recent years, has been rocked by several cases centred on suspected spying for Moscow.

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