Austria has ordered the expulsion of four Russian diplomats, accusing them of engaging in “activities incompatible” with their status, the foreign ministry said Friday.
“Based on findings by the Austrian security authorities, the Austrian foreign ministry has taken measures against four Russian diplomats in Vienna,” said a ministry statement.
Three diplomats at the Russian Embassy “engaged in activities incompatible with their diplomatic status”, the ministry said.
Another from Russia’s delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) “also engaged in activities incompatible with his status… (and) has likewise been declared persona non grata and ordered to leave Austrian territory,” it added.
Several European countries have expelled Russian diplomats since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which has drawn heavy sanctions from Western governments.
Hungary expelled 10 members of the Russian diplomatic mission in September under new Prime Minister Peter Magyar to protect the country’s “security and sovereignty”.
Austria has also expelled diplomats several times since 2022, though not in the same large numbers as other countries.
Austria has in recent years lost favour in the NATO military alliance. The neutral European Union country is regularly described as a hotspot for Russian spies owing to its relatively lax espionage laws.
