Russia is quietly expanding its spy network in Vienna. The city, described as a “hub” for operations in Europe
Russia has quietly stepped up its intelligence operations in Vienna, taking advantage of legislative loopholes and Austria's neutrality status to expand what Western officials describe as one of the West's largest clandestine platforms for intercepting communications, the Financial Times reports, according to the Moscow Times.
While several European states expelled hundreds of Russian diplomats after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, about 500 Russian diplomats are still in Austria, and authorities believe about a third of them are doing intelligence work, according to the publication.
Numerous satellite dishes have appeared over the past two years on the roofs of buildings owned by the Russian state in Vienna, including in locations that do not have diplomatic status.
“It's one of our main concerns about Russia's activity here. We know they've targeted NATO's government and military communications with the equipment they have,” a senior European diplomat told the FT on condition of anonymity.
“Vienna has become very important to them … it is their operational center in Europe,” he continued.
An antenna changed its orientation during the Munich Security Conference
A key point is a vast Russian complex on the banks of the Danube, jokingly nicknamed “Russencity”, whose location offers advantageous access to satellite communications, according to Vienna-based researchers cited by the FT.
Although satellite dishes are commonly used for diplomatic communications, a Western intelligence official said the Russian facilities in Vienna are being used more actively to monitor signals from multiple satellites.
In one case, a large rooftop antenna was observed changing its orientation during the Munich Security Conference in February, later returning to its original position after the event ended, the report said.
Austria is home to several international organizations, including the UN, OSCE, IAEA and OPEC, making Vienna a high-interest target for intelligence activities.
“The technical capabilities and adaptive alignment of the SIGINT stations of the Russian Federation (from Vienna, no) represent a significant security risk in the field of counterintelligence,” the Austrian domestic intelligence service warned.
However, although Austrian law limits espionage prosecutions to cases targeting national interests, an Austrian official told the FT that Vienna shares information about Russia's suspicious activities with its European partners.
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