Austrian retired military officer suspected of spying for Russia

Austria suspects that a recently retired military officer spied for Russia for decades and Vienna has demanded an explanation from Moscow, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Friday.

The case involved a colonel whose spying activities were believed to have begun in the 1990s, Kurz told reporters, without naming the officer.

"If the suspicion is confirmed, such cases, regardless of whether they take place in the Netherlands or in Austria, do not improve relations between Russia and the European Union," he said.