One in six Russian diplomats in Austria may be tied to intelligence agencies, RuPEP data shows

A recent report by the independent Russian outlet Agentstvo reveals that up to one-sixth of Russian diplomatic personnel in Austria may be connected to intelligence agencies. The findings are based on data from the RuPEP public figures database and the list of foreign diplomatic staff published by Austria's Foreign Ministry. The investigation focused on the officially published staff of the Russian Embassy and missions to international organizations, excluding administrative and technical personnel.

At the Russian Embassy, eight employees are suspected of having ties to intelligence agencies, including Counselor Evgenii Ambrosii, whose address is linked to an SVR departmental building. Attaché Aleksandr Sobolev reportedly earned income from military unit 21247, which corresponds to the Foreign Intelligence Academy. Alexander Paloyan and First Secretary Alexander Golovashkin are also linked to SVR units.

The Russian mission to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has seven employees suspected of intelligence agency affiliation. Four of these individuals are associated with GRU and military education facilities. In missions to other international organizations, five out of 47 employees showed signs of intelligence agency connections.

Sergei Berezin, registered at the GRU's Central Special Communications Hub, and Grigory Krivenchenko, who received income from a nuclear weapons arsenal in Mozhaysk, are among the diplomats linked to military intelligence. Two other diplomats suspected of ties to military intelligence are serving at U.N. institutions.

The Financial Times previously reported that Vienna has become Moscow's largest signals intelligence platform in the West, with around 500 people employed at Russian diplomatic facilities. In May 2026, Austria expelled three Russian diplomats, accusing them of intelligence activity. The report also highlights Vienna's role as a major center for Russian intelligence in Europe, with up to one-third of the diplomatic staff potentially involved in espionage.