An undercover German reporter posed as a Putin superfan online. Suspected Russian agents quickly offered her Bitcoin to run local errands.

German journalist Angelique Geray posed as a fan of Vladimir Putin on social media while investigating how covert Russian agents operate in Germany. A documentary chronicling the investigation aired on the German television network RTL in early September.

Geray spent several months creating a fictional online persona. Using the alias Katya, she presented herself as a pro-Russian influencer, trying to build a following organically and establish contacts on social media.

“Katya” posted videos of herself posing in a striped Russian sailor shirt, professing her admiration for Putin, and walking around the Bundestag with a Russian flag. Before long, agents contacted her and offered her unspecified assignments and sent her payment in Bitcoin.

Geray and other RTL journalists were able to observe the recruitment process firsthand. New agents were initially given simple tasks — taking a photo, picking up a package, or obtaining a SIM card. They were later drawn into more serious operations, though these “disposable agents” knew only their own roles and did not understand the overall plan.

Later, “Katya’s” profile caught the attention of Jovica Jović, a member of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance whom RTL calls “one of the biggest names in Germany’s pro-Russian scene.”

Jović invited “Katya” to meet. During their meeting, he spoke about his pro-Russian activities and hinted at the involvement of Russian intelligence agencies. Asked directly whether intelligence agencies in Moscow were directing his social media activity, he said, “Nobody knows. Well, I don’t know — in theory. In practice, I do know.” Later, when Geray approached him under her real name as a reporter, he denied taking part in a pro-Russian campaign.

According to RTL, Geray received a threatening voicemail after publicly revealing that “Katya” was a fake persona: “If you try to run, you’ll get a bullet!”

Suspected Russian-backed sabotage and disinformation campaigns have recently drawn increasing attention in Germany. The most prominent case in recent weeks was an attempted attack in Leipzig involving explosives-laden drones that targeted a Ukrainian transport plane. German authorities formally blamed Russia and responded by closing the Russian House in Berlin and Russia’s consulate in Bonn.