Russian Influence Plot Revealed: How the Kremlin Is Working to Create a New Austria-Hungary
A massive data leak from the Russian propaganda machine has revealed far-reaching influence operations in Europe. At the heart of Moscow’s strategy is a new conservative bloc comprising Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia, which is intended to serve as a wedge against the EU and the U.S. .
Looking at the bigger picture, it becomes clear: For the Kremlin, the longing for the old dual monarchy is not a historical interest, but a geopolitical weapon. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Naotokurihara / CC BY-SA 4.0
It sounds like the script for a historical political thriller, but according to secret documents from the Russian Presidential Administration, it is a pragmatic strategy, as revealed by profil in collaboration with OCCRP: Vladimir Putin wants to make Vienna the political center of Central Europe once again. A data leak from the Moscow-based political technology agency “Social Design Agency” (SDA), obtained by the editorial team, outlines the “Central Europe” project plan in detail.
The Kremlin’s goal: to establish a new, conservative power bloc in the heart of the continent, consisting of Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia. Bound by a supposedly shared history within the Habsburg Monarchy and “conservative values,” this alliance is intended to replace the existing Visegrád Group with a “Vienna Agreement” and, in the long term, evolve into a confederative federation. A new Austria-Hungary—controlled not by an emperor, but by Russian social media campaigns, disinformation, and targeted acts of sabotage.
The strategy: identifying and deepening fault lines
Behind the scenes, the SDA operates not as a crude troll factory, but as a highly professional service provider for information warfare. Led by Ilya Gambashidze, the agency builds entire media ecosystems to deliberately destabilize democracies in the West. The strategy always follows the same pattern: identifying existing social fault lines and pressing on them until they rupture.
In Austria, the Kremlin is capitalizing on widespread EU skepticism, the debate over neutrality, and a seemingly harmless nostalgia for the Habsburgs to erode solidarity with Brussels. In Hungary, the conflict over the Hungarian minority in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region is constantly being stoked to portray Ukraine as a territorially unstable state.
In France and Germany, the tactics are significantly more brutal: Here, the SDA orchestrated the placement of pig heads outside mosques and the sabotage of over 200 cars with construction foam to fuel religious and social conflicts.
“A lie doesn’t have to stick, it just has to spread.” Following this principle, the SDA also disseminates targeted fake news, such as the fabricated story—clicked millions of times worldwide—about Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s alleged luxury real estate in Dubai.
Austria in the Crosshairs of Kremlin Planners
It is no coincidence that Austria plays a key role in the Russian documents. Kremlin strategists are closely analyzing the country’s political polarization. With a strong FPÖ, whose historical ties to Russia and criticism of sanctions play into the hands of Russian narratives, the country is considered an ideal entry point for disinformation campaigns.
At the same time, Russia is attempting to use seemingly legitimate channels, such as think tanks, to convey its influence in a way that resonates with the elite. Just how permeable these networks are was recently demonstrated by the Hungarian Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), which is also active in Vienna and has established ties with conservative former politicians. In Budapest in the spring of 2026, Russian spy Artur Sushkov was exposed after he had specifically sought out informants in such think tanks.
Whether the bizarre plan for a new Austria-Hungary ever takes shape in real politics is of secondary importance to Moscow. It is enough for the Kremlin planners if the idea circulates in the collective memory—because every wedge driven between EU states is a strategic gain for Vladimir Putin.
The Global Disinformation Network
The data leak analyzed in May 2026 emerged as part of an international investigative collaboration (including with Delfi Estonia and the OCCRP investigative network). It shows that Western security agencies increasingly classify the SDA as an acute threat. The U.S. imposed sanctions as early as 2024, and the U.K. followed suit in May 2026 with sanctions against 49 SDA employees. According to reports from the European External Action Service (EEAS), Ukraine remains the primary target of this “Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference” (FIMI), closely followed by France and Germany.
Fake stories about Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s alleged 3.1-million-euro villa in Marseille also garnered more than 10 million views. The Armenian Parliament held elections on June 7, 2026.
Social Design Agency (SDA), FPÖ, and Russia
The U.S. government revealed early on how the SDA operated the so-called “doppelgänger” network on behalf of the Russian Presidential Administration. In the process, well-known European media brands were copied to look deceptively real in order to spread disinformation.
The close ties mentioned in the text and the FPÖ’s official “friendship treaty” with Putin’s “United Russia” party from 2016 are well documented and continue to shape the political debate on Austrian neutrality to this day. In its regular reports, the European External Action Service issues detailed warnings about patterns of Russian behavior. The reports confirm that existing fears in Europe (migration, economic crises) are being deliberately exploited to undermine trust in democratic institutions.
The Central Europe Plan doesn't actually have to work to be effective. It just has to be adaptable. As one internally documented statement puts it: “It's not about building a positive narrative. It's about keeping as many negative narratives running simultaneously as possible.”