The Austrian Defense Ministry has sent a warning to all military personnel calling on them to notify military counterintelligence if they have been contacted by any of 21 Russian diplomats suspected of having ties to Moscow's intelligence services, the Kronenzeitung reported, BTA reported.
“If you know one or more of these individuals or they have contacted you, please notify the Military Counterintelligence Service via the espionage signals unit“, the statement quoted by the publication says.
The alleged agents work at the Russian embassy and in Moscow's representations to the OSCE, the UN and other international organizations organizations in Vienna. Most are suspected of ties to Russian military intelligence, and the rest - to the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Federal Security Service.
Their names and photos were taken from the open database “RuPEP“ (RuPEP.org) and were previously published by the German newspaper “Bild“. According to “Kronenzeitung“ Austrian intelligence services consider the information to be credible.
There are concerns that the alleged agents may have deliberately sought contact with Austrian military personnel in order to obtain information.
The defense ministry told the Austrian news agency APA that the army regularly sends such messages to raise awareness and alertness among servicemen.
“There is a fear that there could be espionage and direct contact with servicemen,“ Defense Minister Claudia Tanner told Austrian radio. She said Russian intelligence services are seeking to destabilize other countries and spread Moscow's messages.