Austria to expel four Russian diplomats
“The four Russian diplomats concerned must leave the territory of the Republic of Austria within one week at the latest, i.e. by the end of Feb. 8, 2023,” reads the tweet.
Read also: Austria adopts resolution declaring Holodomor genocide in Ukraine ‘a terrible crime’
According to the ministry, these are two diplomats of the Russian Embassy and two diplomats of the Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
They have engaged in acts incompatible with their diplomatic status and have committed acts incompatible with the Headquarters Agreement, Austria stated.
According to UK newspaper The Guardian, this is a reason often invoked in spying cases.
Read also: Europe unpicks Russia spy network Kremlin spent years building
Diplomatic expulsion is a rare phenomenon in neutral Austria, which had close relations with Moscow before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Last week, Estonia and Latvia decided to expel Russian ambassadors and lower their level of diplomatic relations with Russia.
Read also: Estonia bans re-entry to Russians going to fight against Ukraine
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
