Austria expels three Russian diplomats and cites suspected espionage activity at Russian diplomatic facilities in Vienna. Austrian authorities say equipment installed on the rooftops of diplomatic buildings—described by the foreign minister as an “antenna forest”—is being used for illicit intelligence collection, including signals intelligence. Multiple outlets report that investigators linked the alleged activities to an apparent expansion of Russia’s signals-intelligence capabilities at embassy premises, including satellite-related equipment at the mission in Vienna. Austria’s foreign minister says it is unacceptable to misuse diplomatic immunity for spying. The three expelled officials are said to have already left Austria, with their expulsions announced publicly on Monday. Reporting also indicates that Austria has expelled other Russian diplomats in recent years, placing the current action in a broader pattern of measures by Vienna. The Moscow Times reports that the Russian Embassy rejects the allegations, calling the expulsions politically motivated, and says it plans a retaliatory response.
Austria expels three Russian diplomats over alleged embassy antenna spying
Austria expels three Russian diplomats and cites suspected espionage activity at Russian diplomatic facilities in Vienna. Austrian authorities say equipment installed on the rooftops of diplomatic bui...
- Austria expels three Russian diplomats/diplomatic staff from Vienna over suspected espionage.
- Authorities allege surveillance hardware, described as an “antenna forest,” is installed on rooftops of Russian diplomatic buildings.
- The equipment is described as potentially being used for signals intelligence and illicit data collection.
- Austria says the diplomats have left the country after the decision.
- Russia’s embassy disputes the allegations and says it will respond to the expulsions.
They gathered information using a "forest of antennas" installed on top of diplomatic buildings, the foreign minister says.
3 months agoAustrian foreign minister says Russian diplomatic mission in Vienna was being used for illicit collection of dataAustria has expelled three Russian embassy staff on suspicion of spying after determining that a “forest of antennae” on the diplomatic mission in Vienna, Europe’s espionage capital since the cold war, was being be used for illicit data collection.“It is unacceptable that diplomatic immunity be used to commit espionage,” Austria’s foreign minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, said on Monday. She added that the three embassy staff – whose expulsions bring the number of Russian diplomats sent home by Vienna to 14 since 2020 – had already left the country. Continue reading...
3 months agoAustria expels Russian staff over suspected espionage via embassy antennas
3 months agoAustria expelled three Russian diplomats suspected of espionage after investigators linked their activities to an apparent expansion of signals-intelligence capabilities at Russian embassy buildings in Vienna.
3 months agoThe Russian Embassy called the expulsions "outrageous" and "politically motivated," vowing a "harsh" retaliatory response against Austria.
3 months ago
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