Austria expelled three Russian diplomats over suspected espionage activities, Vienna said on Monday, May 4, amid concerns about surveillance equipment installed on diplomatic buildings.
According to Reuters, Austrian authorities declared the diplomats persona non grata over what officials described as an “antenna forest” on rooftops that could be used for signals intelligence.
“It is unacceptable that diplomatic immunity be used to commit espionage,” Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said in a statement, adding that the diplomats had already left the country.
The expulsions bring the total number of Russian diplomats expelled by Austria since 2020 to 14.
Vienna as a Russian espionage hub
Western intelligence officials say Russia has significantly expanded its surveillance infrastructure in Vienna in recent years, turning the Austrian capital into one of its key intelligence hubs in Europe.
According to a Financial Times report, Russian diplomatic sites across Vienna are equipped with clusters of satellite dishes used to intercept communications across NATO, the Middle East, and Africa.
Much of the activity centers on a large Russian compound along the Danube, informally known as “Russencity,” which hosts diplomatic facilities and is heavily equipped with signal-interception technology.
Experts say the equipment is actively used to track multiple satellites and monitor communications, with antennas frequently repositioned – behavior not typical for standard embassy infrastructure.
Austria’s neutral status and relatively limited legal tools to prosecute espionage have made Vienna an attractive base for Russian intelligence operations, with hundreds of Russian diplomatic staff still present in the city.