Austria expels four Russian diplomats

Austria ordered the expulsion of four Russian diplomats on Friday, accusing them of activities incompatible with their diplomatic status.

The Austrian foreign ministry said three diplomats at the Russian Embassy in Vienna and one member of Russia's delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe had been declared persona non grata and ordered to leave Austrian territory.

Russia's embassy in Vienna warned on Telegram that the move would "inevitably be met with an appropriate response" and accused Vienna of following what it called the anti-Russian policy of the collective West.

Several European countries have expelled Russian diplomats since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Austria has also expelled diplomats several times since then, though not in the same large numbers as some other countries.