Austrian prosecutors charge ex-intelligence officer accused of spying for Russia
September 2, 2025 3 Comments
PROSECUTORS IN VIENNA HAVE charged a former intelligence officer with spying for Russia in a high-profile case that has had broad political ramifications in Austria and abroad. The criminal case centers on Egisto Ott, a former employee of Austria’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (BVT). The BVT operated as Austria’s primary domestic intelligence agency from 2002 until its dissolution in 2021.
Ott was first arrested in March 2021, but was soon released after Vienna’s state court ruled that the accused no longer had access to classified information, and was thus not a persistent threat to the state. Ott was arrested again in March 2024 on suspicion of having maintained contact with Russian intelligence officers even following his 2021 arrest and release, and of trying to sell classified information after his release. As intelNews reported a year ago, Ott was released again from pre-trial detention in June 2024, in a decision that raised eyebrows.
Now Ott is facing charges of colluding with an unidentified police officer to “support an intelligence agency” of a foreign country “to the detriment of Austria”, according to the public prosecutor. Ott is also accused of having engaged in bribery, misuse of his office, and of having broken Austria’s Official Secrets Act. Among several instances of engaging in espionage, Ott is accused of having given Russian intelligence an encrypted SINA-workstation laptop of the type used by government employees to access classified information remotely.
Ott and his lawyers have denied he was involved in espionage and have vowed to confront all charges against him in court.
► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 02 September 2025 | Permalink
intelNews.org 
Europe as a whole is idiotic in believing that the Russian Federation and its associates are all good guys, they have to multiply by 50 years all those involved in espionage for the Russian Federation.
Ott, as a former member of Austria’s Security Service, appears to have deep legal knowledge and strong personal contacts, giving Ott considerable political power. These have allowed Ott to manipulate Austria’s legal system sufficiently to keep out of jail.
Also Austria seems to lack the political will to risk antagonizing Russia (if Russia is the “foreign country” in question) on the Ott case.
More generally, Austria seems unwilling to construct a system of security laws to convict someone in Ott’s situation.
Yep Anonymous
Europe was rechristened “Uuurrrp” under the Dubya Bush Administration and has only sunk further under the Putin-trump Administration.