DISINFO: Strache-scandal: Security services of Austria, Germany or US might be behind it
SUMMARY
The provocation with a recorded conversation between Austrian politician Heinz-Christian Strache and ‘a niece of Russian oligarch’ could be staged by security services of different countries. It could be Austrians themselves, where the level of popularity of the Freedom Party (FPÖ) is a headache for some. It could be Germany which is confronted with a problem of anti-immigrant belt from Poland to Italy. Is could also be the US which dislike Austria’s active participation in gas projects jointly with Russia.
RESPONSE
No evidence given, conspiracy theory. Heinz-Christian Strache was forced to resign due to allegations of corruption, after offering government contacts to a supposed Russian investor in exchange for help to his Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) in the 2017 national elections. The video was first reported on by the German magazine Spiegel and the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. The two media outlets didn’t reveal the source of the video. There is no evidence to support the theory that the video is a result of a Western secret service operation. Pro-Kremlin media has spread multiple contradicting messages about the source of the video, without giving any evidence to back their claims.