Austria Expels Three Russian Diplomats Over Embassy Surveillance Activities in Vienna
Austria has expelled three Russian diplomats, accusing them of espionage and utilising a sophisticated network of antennas on diplomatic premises in Vienna to gather intelligence. Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger stated the diplomats, who have already departed the country, employed a “forest of antennas” installed on the roofs of Russian diplomatic buildings for information collection.
Austrian authorities confirmed reports indicating these antennas were situated on the Russian embassy and a separate Russian diplomatic compound. The Russian embassy vehemently rejected the expulsions, characterising them as “entirely unjustified, purely politically motivated and categorically unacceptable,” vowing Moscow would “respond harshly” to the actions.
Intelligence services have long viewed these antennas as problematic, enabling Russia to intercept satellite internet data from various organisations, including international bodies. Meinl-Reisinger emphasised that “espionage is a security issue for Austria” and reiterated the government’s commitment to “taking decisive action against it,” specifically citing the “forest of antennas at the Russian embassy” as a point of contention. She underscored that using diplomatic immunity for espionage is “unacceptable.”
This incident is the latest in a series of espionage accusations involving Russia and the central European nations of Austria and Germany. In January, a former intelligence official, Egisto Ott, went on trial in Vienna, accused of providing information to Russian intelligence officers and Jan Marsalek, a fugitive executive of the collapsed German firm Wirecard. Marsalek, an Austrian national, is suspected of being an asset for Russia’s FSB and is believed to be in Moscow. Separately, Germany expelled a Russian individual accused of spying and summoned its ambassador in the same month.
Vienna maintains a reputation as a significant centre for espionage, partly due to its neutrality during the Cold War and its current status as host to major international organisations, including the United Nations and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Austrian government’s most recent Report on the Protection of the Constitution identified Vienna as “one of the last remaining locations for Russian signals intelligence in Europe,” contributing to the substantial number of Russian diplomatic staff in the capital. The report concluded that “Austria’s international reputation is being damaged by Russian signals intelligence activities originating in Vienna.” Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, Austria has expelled 14 Russian embassy staff.
