Austria orders four Russian diplomats to leave over activities it says are incompatible with their status, including three based in Vienna

Austria has ordered four Russian diplomats to leave the country, accusing them of activities incompatible with their diplomatic status, the foreign ministry said. Findings by Austrian security authorities indicated that three were stationed at the Russian Embassy in Vienna and the fourth served in Russia’s delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

All four have been declared persona non grata and ordered to leave Austrian territory.

Austria has expelled Russian diplomats several times since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The neutral European Union member has often been described as a hotspot for Russian spies because of its relatively lax espionage laws.