Austria declares four Russian diplomats persona non grata — Jerusalem Post

Austria’s Foreign Ministry has declared four Russian diplomats in Vienna persona non grata and ordered them to leave the country. The ministry said the decision was made based on assessments by Austrian security authorities regarding activities incompatible with diplomatic status. According to the publication, this wording is usually used in the context of espionage suspicions.

Who is affected by the decision

Three diplomats worked at the embassy of the aggressor state Russia in Austria, while another worked at the Russian delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which deals with military security and arms control issues. The Jerusalem Post reported this, citing a statement by Austria’s Foreign Ministry.

After the decision was announced, Russian news agencies quoted a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the aggressor state, as saying that Moscow would respond to the expulsion of the diplomats. He did not provide details of a possible response.

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Diplomat expulsions since 2020

The current decision brought the number of Russian diplomats expelled by Austria since 2020 to 18. During the previous round of expulsions in May, Austria announced the removal of three diplomats. At the time, authorities pointed to a “forest of antennas” on the roofs of Russian diplomatic buildings, which could have been used for espionage.

Vienna is a major diplomatic hub: the city hosts the OSCE and a number of UN bodies, including the International Atomic Energy Agency. The large number of diplomatic missions creates opportunities for intelligence agents to operate under the cover of diplomatic immunity.