Russia expels Austrian diplomat in retaliation

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday that it is expelling an Austrian diplomat in tit-for-tat retaliation, reported Xinhua.

Austrian Ambassador Johannes Aigner was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry to receive "a strong protest" for the "unjustified decision" of the Austrian side to expel a Russian diplomat, the statement said.

In accordance with the principle of reciprocity, a diplomat of the Austrian embassy in Russia was announced persona non grata, it said.

Vienna is expelling a Russian diplomat for industrial espionage "for years" in a high-tech company with the support of an Austrian citizen, Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung reported on Monday.