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.”