Austria expels four Vienna-based Russian diplomats on spying grounds
Austria's foreign ministry said on Friday it was expelling four Vienna-based Russian diplomats over "activities incompatible with their diplomatic status", declaring them personae non gratae and ordering them to leave the country, Reuters reports.
Austria’s foreign ministry said on Friday it was expelling four Vienna-based Russian diplomats over “activities incompatible with their diplomatic status”, a formula usually used for spying, Reuters reports.
The ministry said the four had been declared personae non gratae and ordered to leave the country. Three worked at Russia’s embassy to Austria, while the fourth was posted to the Russian delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on military security and arms control.
Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger demanded they leave the country immediately, and the diplomats had been under surveillance by Austrian intelligence services for some time, according to APA’s Moscow bureau.
The move brings to 18 the number of Russian diplomats Austria has expelled since 2020. The last round came in May, when three were expelled over an “antenna forest” on the roofs of Russian diplomatic buildings that Vienna said could be used for spying.
While Austria is neutral, its governments have sided with Ukraine since Russia launched its all-out invasion in 2022. The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Vienna, divided into Allied sectors after World War Two, has long had a reputation as a den of spies; it hosts the OSCE and United Nations bodies including the International Atomic Energy Agency.
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