Archive · 22 Jan 2026
Austrian Ex-Intelligence Officer Trial for Alleged Spying for Russia
A former Austrian intelligence officer named Egisto Ott is going to court.
He is accused of helping Russia find people who were against them.
He is also accused of giving Russia secret phones and laptops from the Austrian government.
A man named Jan Marsalek, who is hiding and believed to be in Russia, is also involved.
Ott says he was following orders from his boss and was not working for Russia.
The trial is important because it might tell us more about how Russia gets secret information in Europe.
It started on January 22, 2024, and will take a long time to finish.
Egisto Ott, a 63-year-old former Austrian intelligence officer, is on trial for allegedly spying for Russia.
Ott is accused of helping Russia locate opponents, including former Russian intelligence agent Dmitry Senin and Bulgarian journalist Christo Grozev.
Prosecutors allege Ott provided Grozev's address to Jan Marsalek, leading to a break-in at Grozev's apartment.
Ott's defense claims he was acting under orders from a superior for a secret operation and not for Russia.
The trial began on January 22, 2024, in Vienna and is expected to last for months.
- Who
- Egisto Ott, a 63-year-old former Austrian intelligence officer, is on trial for allegedly spying for Russia. Jan Marsalek, a fugitive former Wirecard executive, is accused of being involved in the spying operations.
- What
- Ott is accused of helping Russia hunt down opponents, selling government phones and secure laptops, and making unauthorized searches in police and other databases.
- When
- The trial began on January 22, 2024, and is expected to last for months.
- Where
- The trial is taking place in Vienna, Austria.
- Why
- The trial aims to shed light on Russian intelligence-gathering in Europe and provide details on Marsalek's alleged spying operations.
- Defendant
- Egisto Ott
- Age
- 63
- Charges
- Supporting a foreign intelligence agency to the detriment of Austria
- Alleged Accomplice
- Jan Marsalek
- Trial Location
- Vienna, Austria
- Trial Start Date
- January 22, 2024
- Alleged Targets
- Dmitry Senin, Christo Grozev
- Defendant's Defense
- Acting under orders of a superior for a secret operation