Russia Threatens Austria With ‘Painful’ Retaliation After Diplomat Expulsions
Russia has threatened Austria with countermeasures following Vienna’s decision to expel four Russian diplomats. Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky told the Russian state news agency TASS that Moscow’s response would be proportionate, but would be “inevitably painful” for Austria.
“Any unfriendly action by the Austrian authorities towards Russia has always received, and will continue to receive, a proportionate response from the Russian side,” Lyubinsky said. He added that the consequences would “inevitably be painful for Vienna,” although he insisted that this was “by no means our choice.”
The warning follows Austria’s decision on October 23 to declare four Russian diplomats personae non gratae and order them to leave the country. Three were diplomats at the Russian Embassy in Vienna, while the fourth belonged to Russia’s delegation for military security and arms control at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Austria’s Foreign Ministry said the diplomats had carried out activities “incompatible with their diplomatic status.” In diplomatic language, the phrase is commonly understood as a reference to espionage allegations, although officials did not release further details about the accusations.
Russia has not yet said what specific measures it may take. In past diplomatic disputes, countries have often responded to expulsions by ordering a similar number of foreign diplomats to leave, a step that could further strain already tense relations between Moscow and Vienna.
