Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky warned that Vienna’s expulsion of four Russian diplomats would trigger a proportionate, painful response. The statement was made to the news agency TASS on 7 November, following Austria’s decision to declare the diplomats persona non grata on 23 October.
Vienna ordered the departure of the four diplomats according to Austrian foreign‑policy rules, a move that Moscow has characterised as an unfriendly act. The expulsions, part of a broader diplomatic exchange, were publicly announced by Austrian authorities after an internal review of Russian embassy staff.
Lyubinsky said that any unfriendly actions by the Austrian authorities "will always receive and will continue to receive a proportionate response from the Russian side." He added that the counter‑action will inevitably be painful for Vienna, but presented it as a necessary, non‑option response by Moscow.
"Any unfriendly actions by the Austrian authorities towards Russia have always received and will continue to receive a proportionate response from the Russian side. It will inevitably be painful for Vienna," Lyubinsky told TASS.
With tensions already high, proportionate response could involve reciprocal diplomatic measures, intelligence‑sharing restrictions, or other indirect retaliation, the Deputy Foreign Minister implied. The reaction reflects a broader pattern of escalating diplomatic exchanges between Russia and European states amid ongoing geopolitical disputes.
