Russia said on Thursday it was expelling four Austrian diplomats in a tit-for-tat move after Vienna expelled four Russian diplomats in a case which appeared to be related to spying.
Austria said on Feb. 2 it was expelling four Russian diplomats for behaving in a manner inconsistent with international agreements, a reason often invoked in spying cases, without giving specifics. It gave them a week to leave.
In a statement on Thursday, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Vienna had taken an "unfriendly and unjustified step" and was ruining Austria's previous position as a respected, unbiased and neutral state.
