Is Austria in danger?

“The Russians don’t mess with their own backyard”

Russian President Vladimir Putin uses Vienna as an espionage hub.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/EPA/RAMIL SITDIKOV/REUTERS / POOL, Nomen Nescio / Radio FM4)

Shortly before the former head of the intelligence service was arrested in Germany on suspicion of espionage, his successors warned that Germany was in danger of getting drawn into a violent conflict with Russia. And Austria? It has nothing to fear, according to military expert Gustav Gressel. Because: “The Russians don’t mess with their own backyard.”

Warnings from German intelligence agencies about Russian acts of sabotage and attacks in Europe are causing a stir. But while discussions in Germany focus on granting more powers to the intelligence agencies, Austrian military expert Gunter Gressel turns his attention to an entirely different issue: Although the country is “just as much the West” as anywhere else for Russia, it plays a useful role: “Austria is a hub for espionage against our European allies,” the political scientist said on the Ö1 Morning Journal.

“We’ve been lucky—but that’s not a strategy”
He is not surprised by the latest warnings from Germany. Russia has long viewed itself as being in conflict with the “collective West” and relies not only on military means but also on intelligence operations, sabotage, disinformation—and attacks. “So far, we’ve been lucky that such operations were detected or failed due to technical malfunctions or mistakes by the perpetrators. But luck is not a strategy,” says Gressel. It could happen at any time that such an attack is carried out successfully.

While Germany, as one of Ukraine’s most important supporters, is a particular focus of Moscow’s attention, the situation in Austria is different. Not because the country is insignificant to Russia. On the contrary. Austria has comparatively weak tools for monitoring Russian intelligence activities. At the same time, there is an exceptionally large Russian diplomatic presence in Vienna. Added to this is the city’s role as the headquarters of numerous international organizations.

With this permissive stance, Austria ultimately harms its neighbors more than itself.

Militärexperte Gustav Gressel

Bild: APA-Images / WirtschaftsBlatt / MAYR Elke

“Austria is thus harming its neighbors”
“The Russians aren’t going to soil their own nest,” Gressel puts it pointedly. For Russian intelligence services, Austria offers several advantages at once. Penalties for espionage are low by international standards, the diplomatic infrastructure is extensive, and its location within the Schengen Area allows for the preparation of information gathering and operations targeting other European countries.

According to the expert, Austria is therefore used not primarily as a target, but rather as a launching pad. From here, activities against Germany, Italy, or other European partners could be organized. “With this permissive (note: tolerant, lenient) attitude, one ultimately harms one’s neighbors more than oneself,” says Gressel.

The expert is particularly critical of Austria’s security and Russia policies over the past decades. He argues that the strategy has remained largely the same since the Cold War. “Keep a low profile and look the other way,” is how Gressel sums up the Austrian approach. Although there is currently a discussion about tightening espionage laws, even this proposal is still in the review process. The expert does not expect much progress.

Contacts with Russia Not Limited to the FPÖ
The potential consequences for the political system are particularly explosive. Cases such as those involving Jan Marsalek or former constitutional protection official Egisto Ott have shown that contacts with Russian networks are not limited to the FPÖ. This is precisely why the security expert expects significant resistance as soon as these connections are to be thoroughly investigated.