Austria has expelled three Russian diplomats accused of conducting illegal surveillance from the rooftop of the Russian embassy in Vienna, with foreign minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger citing a "forest of antennae" used to intercept satellite internet data from international organisations. The three staff have already left the country, bringing the total number of Russian diplomats expelled by Vienna to 14 since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022.
According to a verified report by Austria's public broadcaster ORF, antennas installed on the roofs of the Russian embassy and a nearby diplomatic compound had long been used to systematically siphon off data transmitted via satellite internet — including from major international organisations headquartered in Vienna. Among these are the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). "It is unacceptable that diplomatic immunity be used to commit espionage," Meinl-Reisinger said, adding that Austria was embarking on a "change of course" and taking "decisive action." The Russian embassy condemned the expulsions as "entirely unjustified, purely politically motivated and categorically unacceptable," and promised a "harsh" response from Moscow.
Vienna, the Austrian capital, has been one of the world's foremost espionage hubs since the Cold War, when neutral Austria's proximity to the Iron Curtain made it a valuable listening post. That tradition has persisted: estimates suggest that as many as 7,000 of the city's 17,000 accredited diplomats may be intelligence operatives. Austria's own government report on the protection of the constitution has described Vienna as "one of the last remaining locations for Russian signals intelligence in Europe." A significant contributing factor has been a loophole in Austrian criminal law that effectively permits foreign spies to operate freely in the country, provided their activities do not directly target Austrian interests.
Pressure to close that loophole has intensified following the 2024 arrest of Egisto Ott, a former Austrian counter-espionage official currently on trial in what has been described as the country's largest spy case in decades. Ott, 63, is accused of passing sensitive government data and secure devices to Russian intelligence and of helping Moscow locate opponents of President Vladimir Putin — allegedly acting in part at the behest of Jan Marsalek, the fugitive Austrian-born former chief operating officer of the collapsed German payments firm Wirecard. Marsalek, believed to be living in Moscow, is accused of having secretly worked for Russian military intelligence for years. Ott has denied all charges.
The Austrian government has drafted legislation that would make it illegal to spy against the European Union and Vienna-based international organisations, and would expand the legal definition of espionage against Austria. Around 220 people remain accredited to Russian diplomatic missions in the country. The expulsions come amid a broader European pattern: in January, Germany also expelled a diplomat accused of spying for Russia, with Berlin stating it would not tolerate espionage "under the cover of diplomatic status."