Austria expels 4 Russian diplomats on security grounds

The Austrian Foreign Ministry announced Friday the expulsion of four Russian diplomats, according to broadcaster ORF.

Three of the expelled diplomats were accredited to the Russian Embassy in Vienna while the other was part of Russia’s delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The ministry explained that the diplomats had engaged in activities deemed incompatible with their diplomatic status. They were thus declared “persona non grata” and required to leave the country, it added.

While not providing further details on the reasons for the expulsions, the ministry said the measures were based on findings by security authorities.

Commenting on the move, Russian Deptuy Foreign Ministry Dmitry Lyubinsky told state news agency Tass that Moscow will "inevitably" respond to the expulsion of the diplomats.