Austria expels four Russian diplomats over incompatible activities
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Businessday
Austria declared four Russian diplomats based in Vienna persona non grata over activities deemed incompatible with their diplomatic status. Three worked at the Russian embassy and one at the OSCE delegation; Moscow announced a response, according to Austria’s Foreign Ministry as cited by Reuters.
Austria has expelled four Russian diplomats based in Vienna for “activities incompatible with their diplomatic status”, a phrase generally used to refer to espionage activities. Austria’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the four men had been declared persona non grata and ordered to leave the country, according to Reuters.
Three of the diplomats worked at the Russian embassy in Austria and the fourth represented Moscow at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), where he followed military security and arms control issues. Russian news agencies reported that an official from the Russian Foreign Ministry had announced a response, without specifying its form.
The decision brings to 18 the number of Russian diplomats expelled by Austria since 2020. In May, Vienna had sent back three Russian diplomats, citing a “forest of antennae” installed on the roofs of Russian diplomatic buildings that could be used for espionage purposes, according to Reuters.
Austria is militarily neutral, but its governments have politically supported Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion launched in 2022. Vienna is home to the headquarters of the OSCE and United Nations organisations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, making it an important diplomatic hub.
