Vienna has expelled three Russian diplomats over alleged espionage, Austria’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Monday.
According to Austrian authorities, the officials in question are suspected of carrying out espionage operations using satellite equipment installed on the rooftops of Russian diplomatic buildings in Vienna.
In mid-April, Russian Ambassador to Vienna Andrey Yuryevich Grozov was summoned to Austria’s Foreign Ministry and asked to waive the officials’ immunity. After Moscow declined to comply, Vienna moved to expel the three diplomats, who have since left the country, according to local media reports.
“Espionage is a security issue for Austria,” Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger told POLITICO. “This government has made a policy shift and is taking consistent action against it. We have made this unmistakably clear to the Russian side, also with regard to the ‘forest of antennas’ at the Russian mission.”
Meinl-Reisinger said it was “unacceptable” for the officials to invoke their diplomatic immunity to carry out spying operations in Austria, and said the country would move to tighten the espionage provision in the criminal code to curb the illicit activity.
As a result of its proximity to the Iron Curtain, Vienna was a hotbed for foreign spies throughout the latter half of the 20th century. Because the country’s criminal code punishes only espionage actions that directly target Austria, it continues to be seen as a relatively safe haven for intelligence agents.
Since the start of the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Austria has revoked the diplomatic status of 14 Russian officials found to “have engaged in acts incompatible with their diplomatic status.” However, around 220 staff remain at Russian diplomatic missions in the country, according to ORF.
