Austria expels 4 Russian envoys after EU nations take similar action over Bucha killings

Austria has become the latest European country to expel Russian diplomats, citing inappropriate behaviour. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the country’s Foreign Ministry said that four Russian diplomats faced expulsion as their behaviour was found to be 'incompatible with their diplomatic status' Interestingly, the Ministry stopped short of revealing if the measure was taken in the wake of Putin’s all-out military invasion of Ukraine. 

"The (four) people have acted in a way that is inconsistent with their diplomatic status," the spokeswoman said in a short statement without elaborating.

The move was quickly slammed by the Kremlin, which warned of countermeasures. Addressing reporters, Maria Zakharova, Director of the Information and Press Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, asserted that Moscow would respond to the expulsion of four Russian diplomats from Austria. "Earlier today it became known that three employees of the Russian Embassy in Vienna and one employee of the Consulate General in Salzburg must leave Austria by April 12," she added. 

Europe continues to oust Russian diplomats

Last week, four European countries- Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, and the Czech Republic, expelled as many as 43 Russian diplomats in a single day. Countries including Italy, Sweden, Denmark, and Spain declared several Russian diplomats persona non grata in the wake of the Bucha killings. Two countries, Latvia and Estonia, went a step further, each ordering the closure of two Russian consulates in their territories. 

More recently, Greece, on Wednesday, April 6, dismissed Russian diplomats stationed in the country in response to the Ukraine war and the recent Bucha atrocities. In a statement, the Greek Foreign Ministry announced that 12 Russian diplomats had been asked to leave the country and had been declared “personae non-gratae” by the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention.

The statement of the Greek Foreign Ministry, as quoted by local media read, “The Greek authorities have declared 12 members of the Diplomatic and Consular Missions of the Russian Federation, accredited in Greece, as personae non-gratae. The above were declared undesirable by the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Affairs and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Affairs. The Acting Secretary-General informed the Russian Ambassador earlier today about this decision.”

Image: AP