Austria expels three Russian Embassy staff over suspected antenna spying in Vienna

Published on 04/05/2026 - 18:52 GMT+2

Austria expelled 3 Russian Embassy employees who were suspected of espionage by utilizing antennas connected Russian diplomatic buildings, the Foreign Ministry said connected Monday.

The ministry confirmed a study aired connected Sunday by the Austrian nationalist broadcaster ORF, which said authorities suspected the 3 diplomats of engaging successful spying activities utilizing antennas connected the roofs of the Russian Embassy successful Vienna and a diplomatic compound successful the Donaustadt district.

The installations allowed Russia to intercept information transmitted by planetary organisations based successful Vienna via outer internet, ORF reported.

Austria hosts respective UN agencies, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, arsenic good arsenic the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation successful Europe.

"Espionage is simply a information occupation for Austria. In this government, we person changed people and are taking decisive enactment against it," Austria's Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said successful a statement.

"We person made this unequivocally wide to the Russian side, besides with respect to the array of antennas astatine the Russian embassy. One happening is clear: it is unacceptable for diplomatic immunity to beryllium utilized to prosecute successful espionage."

Western European nations and Russia person expelled each others' diplomats connected respective occasions since Moscow's full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022.

Austria, a European Union subordinate with a argumentation of subject neutrality, was initially hesitant to instrumentality specified enactment but has precocious expelled much Russian diplomats.

According to ORF, the Russian ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry successful April implicit the diplomats' activities. The Russian broadside was asked to assistance their immunity successful bid to let prosecutors to prosecute an investigation, but it refused, starring to the expulsions, ORF reported. They person already near Austria, it said.

In her statement, the overseas curate said that Austria was presently tightening the espionage instrumentality to forestall specified cases.

The authorities present successful spot punishes espionage by overseas services lone if it targets Austrian interests. According to the Austria Press Agency, changes projected by the authorities would telephone for the akin protections erstwhile it comes to planetary organisations.

The Russian Embassy said successful a connection connected Monday that it had taken enactment of Austria's "outrageous" determination concerning its employees.

Moscow volition respond strongly, the connection said, adding, "Vienna bears afloat work for the further deterioration of bilateral relations, which are already astatine a humanities low."