May 4 (UPI) -- Authorities in Austria have expelled three members of the Russian embassy staff for suspected spying, Austria's foreign minister said Monday.
Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said the diplomats were suspected of using a "forest of antennae" on the roof of the Russian embassy in Vienna to collect illicit data, The Guardian reported. The equipment was allegedly used to collect the data from organizations using satellite internet.
"Espionage is a security issue for Austria," Meinl-Reisinger said, Politico reported. "This government has made a policy shift and is taking consistent action against it. We have made this unmistakably clear to the Russian side."
Austria has historically been a haven for European espionage, in part because of its location and in part because of its criminal code, which only targets espionage if it negatively affects Austria itself. Meinl-Reisinger said the country is moving to tighten that loophole. She said it was "unacceptable" for Russia to try to use diplomatic immunity to protect those taking part in espionage.
The three suspected spies have left the country, which has now expelled 14 Russian diplomats since 2020, The Guardian reported. Russian officials called this most recent decision "outrageous" and "unjustified" and promised retaliation.
