Russia Vows Retaliation After Austria Expels Four of Its Diplomats
Austria has expelled four Russian diplomats over activities incompatible with their diplomatic status. Russia's Foreign Ministry has promised an inevitable response.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Friday, October 23, that it will deliver an "inevitable" response to Austria's decision to expel four Russian diplomats from Vienna, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. Tit-for-tat expulsions between Moscow and Western countries are common, and Russia usually answers them with similar measures.
What each side said
Austria's foreign ministry said earlier that the Russian diplomats based in Vienna had been declared persona non grata over "activities incompatible with their diplomatic status", a phrase usually used in connection with spying.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky told TASS that "a response will follow inevitably" but gave no further details.
According to the Austrian ministry, three of the expelled diplomats worked at the Russian Embassy in Vienna and one at the Russian delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), dealing with military security and arms control.
Earlier cases
With this decision, the number of Russian diplomats expelled from Austria over the past six years has reached 18. In May this year, Austria expelled three Russian diplomats, citing an "antenna forest" on the roofs of Russian diplomatic buildings that could be used for spying.
Austria is a neutral country, but its governments have politically sided with Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Moscow routinely responds with reciprocal expulsions of diplomats from the host country's embassy in Moscow.
Vienna is a major diplomatic centre, hosting the OSCE and UN organisations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency.
