Austria expels 4 Russian diplomats based in Vienna

By STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN
Associated Press

VIENNA (AP) — Austria’s government says it has ordered four Russian diplomats based in Vienna to leave the country. The Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement on Thursday that two diplomats the Russian Embassy had “engaged in acts incompatible with their diplomatic status” and two at the permanent mission to the U.N. “committed acts incompatible with the Headquarters Agreement.” It didn’t elaborate. The diplomats were given a week to leave Austria. Russia’s ambassador to Austria said he and Russia’s ambassador to international organizations in Vienna have “rejected the unfounded allegations and warned about the inevitability of retaliatory measures.” Western European nations and Russia have expelled each others’ diplomats on several occasions since Moscow invaded Ukraine.