VIENNA, 2 Feb. Russia, in response to the expulsion of diplomats from Austria, clearly protested and completely rejected fabrications and vague references to the opinion of the special services, said Russian Ambassador to Vienna Dmitry Lyubinsky.
«The protest was clearly stated, the complete rejection of any fabrications and vague references to the opinion of the special services,» the ambassador's statement says.
Earlier, the Austrian Foreign Ministry announced that Vienna had declared persona non grata of four Russian diplomats: two from the Russian embassy who allegedly committed «actions incompatible with their diplomatic status», as well as two more diplomats who are members of a permanent mission to the UN in Vienna.
In response to this, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that Russia would respond to Austria's announcement of four Russian diplomats persona non grata.