Kremlin's agents. electronic espionage. russian diplomats. moscow 2026

For decades, russia has been building a global system of influence through politics, business, sports, culture, and education. These initiatives are disguised as strengthening international cooperation. But in reality, some of them perform much broader tasks. Cultural centres with tricolours on their facades are flourishing in cities across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. However, outside of them, there is a carefully constructed system of influence controlled by the kremlin's special services.

Journalists from "24 Kanal" have gathered evidence of the involvement of "russian House" employees with russian special services. About the peculiarities of organising international relations with the involvement of cultural centres and about how one of the directors of the russian representative office in the CAR lost an arm – in the investigation by 24 Kanal: https://24tv.ua/n3026635. 
russia has turned Vienna into a hub for electronic espionage in Europe.
Following the outbreak of full-scale war against Ukraine, russia has revived one of its key Cold War-era functions in Vienna: electronic intelligence. This is reported by the Financial Times, citing Western intelligence agencies and analysis of satellite imagery. It is from Vienna that russia monitors the government and military communications of NATO countries, as well as communications in the Middle East and Africa.
New antennas and equipment that regularly change position have been spotted on the roofs of russian diplomatic premises. For example, on the eve of the Munich Security Conference, one of the antennas was reoriented, and after the conference ended, it was turned back.
The main hub is the so-called ‘russencity’, where the russian mission to the UN is located. The building is covered in satellite antennas pointed at communication satellites between Europe and Africa. Vienna is a convenient hub: the UN, OSCE, IAEA and OPEC are based here, and they actively use satellite communications. 
Austrian intelligence warns that the technical capabilities of russian stations in Vienna pose a serious security threat. At the same time, Austria maintains a conciliatory stance: around 500 russian representatives are still working in the capital, and up to a third of them may be linked to intelligence.

In Austria, a former intelligence officer has been convicted of spying for russia and targeting opponents of the kremlin.
According to the investigation, Egisto Ott passed on classified information to the russian side and also helped track down individuals whom moscow considered its opponents, reports Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/austrian-court-finds-former-domestic-intelligence-officer-guilty-spying-2026-05-20/
He was also found guilty of abuse of office, bribery and the unlawful use of privileged access to data.
Among the targets of the russian security services were former russian intelligence agent Dmitriy Senin and Bulgarian journalist Hristo Grozev. According to the case file, Ott gained unauthorised access to police databases in search of information about these individuals.
It was also established that he passed on the address of journalist Grozev in Vienna to suspected russian agent Jan Marsalek, after which a break-in at his flat was organised. The journalist was forced to leave Austria for security reasons
Austria has expelled three russian diplomats over suspected espionage.
Austria has declared three russian diplomats persona non grata on suspicion of using their diplomatic status for intelligence activities, said Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger: https://www.reuters.com/world/austria-expels-three-russian-diplomats-over-signals-spying-2026-05-04/
The decision was taken after satellite equipment and a ‘forest of antennas’ were discovered on the premises ofussian diplomatic missions in Vienna, which could have been used to intercept information, including data from international organisations. The diplomats have already left the country.
The kremlin wants to influence public opinion in Israel through academics, the media and Western speakers.
russia is attempting to establish a network of influence in Israel. This is confirmed by information from journalists at Delfi Estonia, which was shared with OCCRP and its partners. According to the journalists, moscow planned to set up a ‘research institute’ in Haifa to shape narratives favourable to the Kremlin and influence Israeli public opinion.
The organisation was intended to be used to work with Israeli academics, experts and opinion leaders with the aim of shaping public opinion in a direction favourable to the kremlin. The documents mention a budget of $125,000 for the first six months of operation, the rental of an office in Haifa and the search for three Israeli project founders.
The correspondence also indicates that russia attempted to promote its own narratives through the Israeli media under the guise of ‘independent’ Western speakers. In particular, the documents mention US General Paul Vallelli. The russian side planned to arrange for the publication of his ‘author’s’ columns in the Israeli media, although in reality their promotion was coordinated by entities linked to the kremlin.
Poland has recorded a sharp increase in the activities of russian intelligence services.
This is stated in the public report of the Polish Internal Security Agency for 2024–2025: https://www.rp.pl/sluzby/art44286051-obce-wywiady-sa-mocno-aktywne-w-polsce-wynika-z-raportu-abw-rzeczpospolita-opisuje-go-pierwsza
The intelligence service emphasises that russia is waging a systematic information war against Poland, specifically by spreading pro-russian narratives, attempting to undermine trust in the state, and stoking anti-European and anti-NATO sentiments. Separate attempts to manipulate historical themes to polarise society have also been documented.
Polish counter-intelligence also reports active preparations for sabotage. russian intelligence services are increasingly setting up sabotage cells, recruiting former military personnel and mercenaries from the Wagner Group, whilst agents are recruited via Telegram and paid in cryptocurrency. The report also mentions a significant increase in cyberattacks on Poland’s critical infrastructure – in particular, water treatment plants, sewage treatment facilities and municipal management systems. The russian hacking groups APT28 (Fancy Bear) and APT29 (Midnight Blizzard) are cited as the most active.
Argentina has detained a russian national, the head of a disinformation network in Latin America.
The man in question is 26-year-old russian citizen dmitriy novikov, who is suspected of leading a russian disinformation network in Latin America. According to intelligence reports, he entered the country posing as a tourist, but may have been engaged in influence operations and destabilisation.
Novikov was detained for providing false information upon entry. According to local media, this occurred in a suburb of Buenos Aires. National Security Minister Alexandra Monteoliva described him as the “leader of a russian disinformation network” who had arrived to launch attacks on state institutions.
According to investigators, novikov is linked to the organisation “La Compañía” (“The Company”), which has been associated with russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service. The network was involved in disinformation operations in Latin American countries.
Journalists from Forbidden Stories reported that the group had participated in influence campaigns against President Javier Milei and had used the infrastructure of the ‘Lakhta’ project, which is linked to russian information operations abroad. In 2025, the Argentine authorities had already reported the exposure of a kremlin-linked disinformation network in the region.
A russian businessman attempted to purchase a property near a nuclear submarine production facility in the UK.
This concerns a deal to purchase the Grange-over-Sands Golf Club, which Yuriy Shamara and his daughter attempted to carry out. According to the Financial Times, the property is located near critical infrastructure – in particular, roads leading to the BAE Systems facility, where nuclear submarines are built, and nuclear waste storage sites: https://www.ft.com/content/19a3d7b1-c8a8-47b1-9f60-8901e6502241?syn-25a6b1a6=1
Following government intervention and an investigation, the deal was cancelled. According to the investigation, Shamara is linked to the oil refining business that supplies fuel to the russian army. British security agencies view such attempts as part of a broader kremlin strategy – buying up properties near critical infrastructure in Europe for potential influence and destabilisation. Similar cases have already been recorded in Northern European countries.
Sweden has arrested russian spies.
One man is in custody on suspicion of crimes which, according to the investigation, he may have been committing since at least 2024. His espionage activities may have begun as early as 2022, writes the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter: https://www.dn.se/sverige/mannen-misstanks-ha-spionerat-for-ryssland-arbetade-nara-svenska-nyhetsredaktioner/
Until 2022, the detainee worked as an IT consultant for the Swedish Armed Forces. He subsequently moved to the private sector, where he was involved in technical support, threat assessment and internal security matters at IT companies. Among the company’s clients was the Bonnier media group, which publishes Swedish media outlets (Dagens Nyheter, Expressen and Dagens Industri). The detainee also features in complaints to the Swedish Ombudsman, and his name has been linked to websites spreading conspiracy theories. The suspect denies any wrongdoing. The investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, in the Stockholm suburb of Teby, representatives of the Belarusian St Elizabeth’s Convent were detained: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/18/pro-putin-spy-nuns-infiltrating-sweden/ They were collecting donations and selling souvenirs at a local parish. The Church of Sweden has officially warned that the funds raised are being used to finance the russian army. The women posted photos featuring russian military symbols and travelled to occupied territories in Ukraine, where they posed alongside russian soldiers.
‘Always at your service’: Hungary’s former foreign minister, Szijjártó, was working for moscow.
Journalists from VSquare gained access to the Hungarian minister’s telephone conversations: https://vsquare.org/kremlin-hotline-hungary-colluded-with-russia-to-delist-sanctioned-oligarchs-companies-and-banks . On 30 August 2024 — just an hour after returning from St Petersburg — Szijjártó received a call from his russian counterpart, sergey lavrov. lavrov reminded him of russian oligarch usmanov’s request to remove his sister from the EU sanctions lists.
According to the transcript, before hanging up, Szijjártó spoke about his visit to gazprom’s new headquarters and told lavrov: “Always at your service.”
“If you take out the names, any intelligence officer would say that this is a conversation between an agent and a handler,” a senior European intelligence officer told journalists after reviewing the transcript.
British politician Gill has been sentenced to 10.5 years in prison for accepting a bribe from a russian agent.
The former MEP and ex-leader of Reform UK in Wales received money for speeches and interviews in which he ‘defended’ the pro-russian media outlets ‘112 Ukraine’ and NewsOne. The talking points for these statements were sent to him by voloshin, a former MP from a pro-russian party in Ukraine. WhatsApp correspondence confirmed that, for £40,000, Gill delivered messages personally approved by the party’s leader, medvedchuk (who is currently in russia). 
Hill was detained in September 2021 at Manchester Airport as he was preparing to fly to russia. The London police have already stated that the investigation is ongoing and the circle of suspects may be wider.
Based on materials from Stopfake.org, Spravdi.ua
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