Austria expels two Russian diplomats from the country and declares them persona non grata in accordance with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention.
This is stated in the answer of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the inquiry of Heute newspaper. Reuters also writes about this.
Diplomats must leave the territory of Austria by March 19 inclusive. They are accused of actions incompatible with their diplomatic status. The Russian Embassy in Austria was outraged by the decision and stated that they had not been provided with evidence of the diplomatsʼ violation of the Vienna Convention.
The newspaper Heute writes that this step was taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Austria after reports in the media that Russia can use its diplomats for intelligence activities. Journalists claim that 23 diplomats accredited to the Russian embassy have been involved in intelligence activities in recent years. And the former head of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Karin Kneisl, who now lives in Russia, allegedly had to help in obtaining information from the department she previously headed.
- Austria expelled four Russian diplomats on February 2, 2023. At that time, two diplomats engaged in actions incompatible with their diplomatic status, and the other two diplomats from the permanent representation of Russia at the UN acted contrary to the Organizationʼs Agreement.