New Delhi, Oct. 24 -- Austria - and particularly Vienna, its capital - has long been considered a hotbed for spying because of lenient espionage laws and a high concentration of diplomats, given the many international organizations based in the city.

The Austrian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter, said the expulsions were linked to espionage.

Austria's Foreign Ministry said that three of the four were diplomats at the Russian Embassy in Vienna while the fourth was based at Moscow's mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The ministry, in a brief statement, said the Russian diplomats had "engaged in activities incompatible with their diplomatic status" and had therefore been ...