The Austrian Foreign Ministry said on May 4 that it had expelled three Russian Embassy employees who were suspected of spying on international agencies in Vienna, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
The ministry said the trio was involved in installing antennae on Russian diplomatic buildings in Vienna to carry out espionage.
The ministry confirmed a report broadcast on May 3 by Austrian public broadcaster ORF, which said three Russian diplomats were suspected of spying from the roof of the Russian Embassy in Vienna, and from another diplomatic compound in the city’s Donaustadt district.
ORF reported that the antennas allowed the Russians to intercept data transmitted by satellite by international organizations based in Vienna.
Among the United Nations agencies hosted in Vienna are the IAEA, OPEC, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
“Espionage is a security problem for Austria. In this government, we have changed course and are taking decisive action against it,” Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said in a statement.
“We have made this unequivocally clear to the Russian side, also with regard to the array of antennas at the Russian embassy.
“One thing is clear: it is unacceptable for diplomatic immunity to be used to engage in espionage.”
ORF reported that the Austrians asked the Russians to waive the diplomatic immunity of the three suspects to allow prosecutors to fully investigate the matter, but Moscow refused, and the suspects were then expelled.
In her statement, Meinl-Reisinger said new legislation currently before the Austrian parliament would broaden the scope of espionage charges in the country, which currently focus only on spying that damages Austrian interests.
The Russian Ambassador in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, had posted on X in recent days about meetings he had with the chiefs of OPEC and the IAEA.
“Met today with the Secretary General, Mr. Haitham al-Ghais,” Ulyanov posted on X on May 4. “We discussed the impact of events in the Middle East on the global oil market, as well as ways and means of further cooperation.”
“Met today with the IAEA Director General Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi after his return from New York, where he participated in the opening phase of the NPT [Nuclear Non-Profileration Treaty] review conference,” Ulyanov posted on X on April 30.
“We exchanged views on the conference, Ukraine, and Iran.”
Several countries have expelled Russian diplomats since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Austria is a member of the European Union but not NATO.
Between 1945 and 1955, Austria was occupied by the United Kingdom, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union.
But in 1955, Austria signed a treaty that restored its full independence and democracy in exchange for a permanent policy of military neutrality, which it retains in 2026.
The Russian Embassy issued a statement on May 4 calling Austria’s decision “outrageous.”
“Vienna bears full responsibility for the further deterioration of bilateral relations, which are already at a historical low,” the statement said.
In 2018, then-Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl canceled a visit to Moscow after it emerged that a retired Austrian army officer had been spying for Russia since 1992. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the time he knew nothing about the alleged spying, and was “unpleasantly surprised” by the accusation, according to Austrian news outlet ORF.
The former colonel was jailed for three years in 2020.
