Overview
- Austrian officials confirmed Monday that three Russian embassy staff suspected of spying were expelled and had left the country.
- The inquiry focuses on large clusters of satellite dishes and antennas at Russian diplomatic sites that investigators say captured data from international bodies in Vienna.
- In April, Austria summoned the Russian ambassador and asked Moscow to lift the suspects’ immunity within 14 days, a request that drew no response.
- The government plans to tighten espionage laws so spying against the EU, UN and OSCE in Vienna is explicitly illegal and to strengthen the existing statute.
- The Russian embassy denounced the expulsions as politically motivated, and Austria has now expelled 14 Russian staff since the Ukraine war, with about 220 still accredited.