Austria expels three Russian diplomats over signals espionage

Austria has declared three Russian diplomats persona non grata over a "forest of antennas" on the roofs of diplomatic buildings that could be used for espionage, the government said on Monday.

Numerous satellite dishes installed on buildings used by the Russian state in Vienna, particularly on a residential complex for diplomatic staff, have long attracted the attention of Austria's main domestic security service, which has warned for years that they could be used to intercept satellite communications from other countries.

"It is unacceptable that diplomatic immunity is used for espionage," Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said, confirming that three diplomats had already left the country. This brings the number of Russian diplomats expelled by Austria since 2020 to 14.

The Russian Embassy in Vienna published a statement on its website stating that the expelled diplomats were from the embassy and the Russian mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and that Moscow will react harshly to Austria's decision, which, it claims, is "in no way justified."

When asked at a press conference why these installations pose a particular threat, Silvija Majer, head of the main internal security service, the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence, said only that it was related to their size and nature, without commenting on the timing of the expulsions.

Vienna is a major diplomatic center, home to the OSCE and United Nations organizations, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Larger countries, such as Russia and the United States, often have separate ambassadors for Austria, the OSCE, and UN organizations, each of whom heads an embassy or mission.

Vienna, which was divided into Allied sectors after World War II, has long had a reputation as a hotbed of espionage. The large diplomatic presence makes it possible to deploy intelligence officers there under the cover of diplomatic immunity.