Spy scandal in Austria: country expels four Russian diplomats

Austria has declared four Russian diplomats suspected of espionage persona non grata. Three of them worked at the Russian embassy in Vienna and one was accredited to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). All of them must leave the country.

This was reported by the Austrian publications Heute and Profil with reference to the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukrinform reports.

The decision was made after Austrian security services investigated information about the diplomats’ possible involvement in espionage. According to Heute, three embassy employees were engaged in activities incompatible with their diplomatic status. The fourth diplomat worked in the Russian delegation on military security and arms control at the OSCE.

According to Profil, Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger decided to act after checking the individuals mentioned in the secret list, which was previously distributed among employees of government institutions.

In mid-August, the Austrian Ministry of Defense, headed by a representative of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), sent an email to members of the Federal Armed Forces and reservists, warning of the dangers of contact with alleged Kremlin agents and urging them to report such cases.

The list included the names and photographs of 21 people. Information about them initially emerged as a result of a data leak published by the Russian émigré publication “Project”. At the same time, according to Profil, these individuals had previously attracted the attention of Austrian law enforcement agencies as suspects.

Following the results of the checks, Austria decided to expel three diplomats mentioned on the list. The fourth Russian, who was ordered to leave the country, was accredited to the OSCE.

All four were declared persona non grata under Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which provides for the right of the receiving state to declare a diplomatic representative persona non grata.

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