In the 1980s, a multifunctional diplomatic building complex was built at Erzherzog Karl-Straße 182, Vienna 22, which today houses an embassy school and various embassy departments, as well as spy facilities and corresponding apartments, in addition to apartments for secret service personnel at Sternwartestrasse 74.
As of 2022 embassy building is being used by diplomatic mission of the Russian Federation, but its legal ownership is disputed between Russia and Ukraine.[3]
Russian SIGINT
Russia uses its foreign missions for SIGINT espionage and sabotage. After the invasion of Ukraine, all European states ordered the closure of Russian missions - except Austria - Vienna is the most important location for Russian telecommunications reconnaissance in Europe.[4] In 2022, there were still a total of 290 people living in Vienna who were accredited by the Russian embassy, the missions to the UN and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). 75 of them are designated as administrative-technical staff. Austria expelled four embassy members after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[5]
Satellite reception systems are located on the roof of the main building, but even more so on the building on Erzherzog Karl-Straße. Austrian counterintelligence assumes that they are operated by SWR. Austrian DSN claimed in 2023: “Vienna acts as a hub for Russia in the signals intelligence (SIGINT) of NATO states.”[6]
There is a remote satellite spy station on the roof of the Russian Mission to the United Nations. The expansion of this station began after 2014, with five satellit dishes. In 2022 there were 13 Sat dishes.[7]
Russia is skimming the data transponders from Western satellites. In particular, communications via geostationary satellites near the equator, such as the Eutelsat network, are intercepted.[5]
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