Austria has declared two Russian diplomats persona non grata. As a spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) told the APA on Wednesday evening, the two “have taken actions that are incompatible with their diplomatic status.” This formulation is usually used when discussing intelligence activities. It is an open secret that there are spies among the Russian embassy staff in Vienna.
Those affected would have to leave Austrian territory by March 19th at the latest. They worked at the Russian bilateral embassy in Austria, not at the representation to the international organizations in Vienna. In the past, Austria has been rather cautious about expelling Russian diplomats. The reason for this was, among other things, the impact on the Austrian representation in Moscow, which is much more sparsely staffed. In fact, the Russian Foreign Ministry immediately announced a “reaction” to the “groundless” expulsion of the two diplomats. It is expected that Austrian diplomats in Moscow will now also have to pack their bags, even if they have not committed anything comparable to the two suspected Russian spies in Vienna.
Russian embassy “outraged”
The Russian embassy in Vienna said in a statement that it was “indignant” about Schallenberg’s decision. “As with previous expulsion episodes, no evidence or even proof of a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations was presented. This is a purely political decision by the Austrian authorities, which we categorically reject. There can be no doubt that Moscow will respond decisively. Responsibility It is solely Vienna’s responsibility to further degrade bilateral relations.”
With the current expulsion, the number of Russian diplomats who have been kicked out by Austria in the past four years has risen to eleven. In February of the previous year, four diplomats had to return home, including two at the Russian representation to the international organizations in Vienna. In April 2022, four diplomats were also expelled from the country after the brutal massacre in Butscha near Kiev became known. Even before the Russian aggression, a Russian diplomat had to leave Austria in August 2020 because of economic espionage.
The directory of the diplomatic and consular corps maintained by the Foreign Ministry currently lists 60 diplomats at bilateral Russian missions in Austria, 56 people are accredited for the Russian embassy in Vienna and four for the Russian consulate general in Salzburg.
The Foreign Ministry denied any connection between the current expulsions and the report in the Viennese weekly newspaper “Falter” about Putin’s contacts in Austria. The allegations made in the report against FPÖ politicians prompted ÖVP General Secretary Christian Stocker to hold a press conference on Tuesday. The FPÖ rejected the allegations as all refuted.
Die In an initial reaction on Wednesday evening, NEOS called for further expulsions of Russian diplomats. Foreign policy spokesman and EU leading candidate Helmut Brandstätter pointed out in a broadcast that other EU states had “expelled diplomatic and technical staff from the country on a large scale” after Putin’s attack. Only Hungary and Austria did not do this, “even though it is an open secret that around a third of the embassy staff are likely to be spies,” said Brandstätter. The lack of vehemence towards Russia is also reflected in the fact that the Russian Cultural Institute in Vienna is still not closed, even though it only hosted Putin representative Mikhail Schwydkoj at the beginning of the week. NEOS MP Stephanie Krisper also wants to discuss this in the Standing Subcommittee of the Interior Committee on Thursday. “How can it be that someone from Putin’s closest circle can simply enter Austria unmolested?” she asked, referring to Schwydkoj. It is also an “unbearable situation that spies generally have the perception that they can operate in Austria unmolested.”
