Austria expels three Russian diplomats over spying accusations

The Russian embassy condemned the expulsions as 'unjustified, purely politically motivated and categorically unacceptable' and said Moscow would 'undoubtedly respond harshly' to the actions.

Around 220 people are still accredited to Russian diplomatic missions in Austria. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Austria has expelled 14 Russian embassy staff.

Vienna has long been a center of espionage; a government report described Vienna as one of the last remaining locations for Russian signals intelligence in Europe, contributing to the large number of Russian diplomatic staff in the capital.

The ORF report, confirmed by the foreign ministry, said antennas were on the roof of the Russian embassy in Vienna and at a Russian diplomatic compound, allowing interception of data via satellite internet.

Austria expelled three Russian diplomats, who had already left the country. Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said the 'forest of antennas' on the roofs of diplomatic buildings were used to gather information and called it unacceptable for diplomatic immunity to be used for espionage.

Germany announced in January 2026 that it had expelled an individual accused of spying for Russia and had summoned its ambassador.

Egisto Ott, a former Austrian intelligence official, went on trial in Vienna in January 2026 on charges of handing over information to Russian intelligence officers and to Jan Marsalek, with prosecutors alleging payments were involved. Ott's lawyer Anna Mair has previously rejected the allegations.

Jan Marsalek, an Austrian citizen and former Wirecard executive, is accused by German authorities of being an intelligence asset for Russia's FSB. He is wanted for alleged fraud and, according to Interpol, the subject of a Red Notice; he fled Austria in 2020 and is thought to be in Moscow.