The prestigious European Journalist of the Year 2025 Award, presented by PRIX EUROPA, has been awarded to Christo Grozev (AUBG ‘95) for his fearless investigative reporting that has exposed some of the most complex cases of international corruption and espionage.
The jury, composed of representatives of Europe’s leading public broadcasters, recognized Grozev for his role in tracking down former Wirecard executive Jan Marsalek, who vanished in 2020 following the collapse of Germany’s fintech giant. Working alongside an international consortium of journalists from Spiegel, ZDF, The Insider, Der Standard, and PBS, Grozev uncovered Marsalek’s secret hideout in Moscow and revealed his deep ties to Russian intelligence.
Marsalek, once one of Europe’s most sought-after fugitives, had staged an elaborate disappearance — planting false leads about traveling to the Philippines, forging immigration records, and misleading investigators about his whereabouts. As Grozev later detailed in his work with Bellingcat, the team pieced together flight data, immigration records, and Russian security files to reconstruct Marsalek’s movements. These records found his hideouts in Belarus and later Moscow while also revealing a decade-long pattern of suspicious trips to Russia, the use of multiple passports, including a mysterious diplomatic one, and a long-standing relationship with the FSB.
The investigation ultimately proved that Marsalek was working as a Russian intelligence spy, a revelation with major implications for European security and governance. European courts convicted members of a London-based spy ring that Marsalek financed (Reuters, 2025), Austria opened new inquiries into Russian infiltration of its institutions (Reuters, 2024), and Germany intensified efforts to reform oversight of its financial and security sectors (Reuters, 2020). Beyond these immediate impacts, the investigation demonstrated the vital role of cross-border journalism in uncovering truths that governments alone could not — or would not — expose.
CIDC proudly celebrates Christo Grozev’s achievements and his unwavering commitment to truth. His work exemplifies the values of courage, accountability, and transparency that are essential for the health of democratic societies.
In addition to his groundbreaking journalism, Grozev’s mission is also carried forward through the Christo Grozev Fellowship for Courageous Journalism at CIDC. The fellowship supports journalists working in challenging environments with mentorship, resources, and cross-border collaboration to confront disinformation, safeguard democracy, and uphold human rights.
