Austria expels three Russian embassy staff on suspicion of spying

Austria has expelled three Russian embassy staff on suspicion of spying after determining that a “forest of antennae” on the diplomatic mission in Vienna, Europe’s espionage capital since the cold war, was being be used for illicit data collection. “It is unacceptable that diplomatic immunity be used to commit espionage,” Austria’s foreign minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, said on Monday. She added that the three embassy staff – whose expulsions bring the number of Russian diplomats sent home by Vienna to 14 since 2020 – had already left the country. “We have communicated this to the Russian side in no uncertain terms, including as regards the forest of antennae at the Russian mission,” Meinl-Reisinger said. Spying was a problem for Austria, she continued, but the government had embarked on a “change of course” and was “taking consistent action”. Austria’s foreign minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, said spying was a problem for the country. Photograph: Lisa Leutner/Reuters The Russian embassy in Vienna described the decision as “outrageous”, “unjustified”, “politically motivated” and “categorically unacceptable”. It promised “harsh” retaliation in return. According to a report by the Austrian public broadcaster ORF, data from international and national organisations using satellite internet was being systematically siphoned off by equipment installed on the roofs of the embassy and diplomatic compound. …