Retired Austrian army officer found guilty of spying for Russia

An Austrian court has sentenced a retired army colonel to three years in prison after convicting him of spying for Russia’s military intelligence service (GRU) for more than 25 years.

The charges carried a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison but he was sentenced to three and released for time served since his arrest in November 2018. “The court came to the conclusion that the defendant no longer poses a threat”, a court spokesman said.

The colonel, who has not been named, was found guilty on Tuesday of operating a secret intelligence operation against Austria, betraying state secrets, and deliberately revealing military secrets.

He provided military secrets to Russia from 1992 to 2018  in exchange for €280,000, according to the indictment. His lawyers argued he only passed on publicly available information, and said the amount he received was €220,000.

Vienna is known as a European espionage hub. The capital is home to various international organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and a branch of the United Nations.