For generations, Russian spies and agents have enjoyed their freedom in Austria, which they have used for surveillance, harassment of enemies, recruitment and formulating plots against other European countries, including the UK.
But Moscow’s base for European operations is coming under growing scrutiny, with a new pro-Ukraine Austrian government bringing in a raft of measures to crack down on rampant Russian espionage.
Since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 restricted Moscow’s presence across much of Europe and the West, it has intensified its activities in Vienna.
Nurses ‘collapsing on shift’ due to heatwave – what we know
Nurses are collapsing during shifts amid “inhumane and impossible” conditions caused by extreme heat, their union has warned.
Union warns of unsafe conditions
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has become the latest union to warn of unsafe working conditions for its members as the number of days over 30°C is already at a new record of 35 this summer.
The union has said some staff have collapsed, while others were left dizzy, nauseous or at risk of fainting while dripping with sweat “from head to toe”.
4
3
What is being done about it?
The NHS has been ordered by health secretary Yvette Cooper to prepare for the effects of heatwaves each year in the same way that it prepares for winter.
Earlier this year, the Climate Change Committee of MPs said that the government should ensure cooling measures are installed in all hospitals and care homes by 2035.
Nurses are being ‘failed’
When nursing staff are collapsing, feeling dizzy, sick or even being admitted to the very hospitals they work in because their workplaces cannot handle the heat, it shows just how badly they are being failed.
RCN chief executive and general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger
How ‘black hole stars’ could explain mystery of the early universe
Strange red spots in images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may be a newly discovered type of object called a “black hole star” that is larger than our entire solar system.
Supermassive blackholes
Astronomers have said the objects may help to explain how supermassive blackholes formed so early in the history of the universe.
They lie at the hearts of galaxies and play a key role in determining their growth and evolution.
Solving a puzzle for cosmologists
Supermassive blackholes appear to have formed very soon after the birth of the universe, puzzling cosmologists over how they had time to grow so much during the universe’s infancy.
However, the red dot found by the JWST, which is believed to have formed 660 million years after the Big Bang, may be an infant black hole surrounded by a “cloak of gas” that feeds it as it grows, according to analysis published in the journal .
7
The organ in your chest that could be key to living longer
The thymus was once thought to be nearly useless in adults – now scientists think it could be vital for our health.
Economy grows by 0.4% – what you need to know
The UK economy grew by 0.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, new data has shown.
What is driving the growth
The growth comes after a first quarter in which the economy expanded by 0.6 per cent and has been boosted by the summer sun and sports events, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Computer programming, advertising and the pharmaceutical industry were areas of strength, the ONS said, but this was offset by falls in power generation and sewerage.
3
Housing nightmares
4
Growth likely to slow
The economy is now 1.2% bigger than a year ago, but economists warn growth is likely to slow in the second half of the year.
Speaking to the , Fergus Jimenez-England, associate economist at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research said: “Both inflation and unemployment are set to rise in the coming months while business sentiment remains fragile and could dampen further with ongoing energy price volatility.”
I’m a pension expert with a £300,000 pot – here are my golden rules for saving
Kirsty Ross has been working in the pensions industry for 15 years but says experts have the same fears and anxieties as everyone else.
Stunning solar eclipse dazzles Europe – in pictures
From Aberdeen to Penzance, from Aberystwyth to Hull, skywatchers were out in force yesterday to see the best solar eclipse in a generation.
In pictures
The spectacle continues
A once-in-a-lifetime experience for many
The event sparked huge interest for people across the UK as the Moon covered more than 90 per cent of the Sun.
It was the first time for many, with the last full eclipse occurring in August 1999. However, eclipse enthusiasts will have to wait until 23 September 2090 for the next one.
A scramble for eclipse glasses
Looking directly at the eclipse with the naked eye, or even sunglasses, can cause permanent damage, so a scramble for eclipse glasses ensued around the country.
Huge queues formed at shops which still had stock left, while many had already sold out and were forced to turn away customers.
Temperatures to hit 38°C today as amber warning expanded
Sweltering temperatures of up to 38°C are set to hit the UK today.
The Met Office has today issued an updated amber extreme heat warning for areas across the UK lasting from 9:00 to 23:00.
The relentless heat means that this summer is likely to be the hottest on record.
A dangerous period of heat
The sweltering temperatures forecast today mark the peak of the UK’s latest heatwave.
Tropical nights, where temperatures fail to drop below 20°C, are also expected as humid air spreads into western areas, which can place additional stress on the body.
3
2
An extraordinarily dry period
The lack of rain has piled pressure on farming, freight shipping and energy production, after the UK saw its driest July in 190 years.
Up to 27 million people find themselves under water-use restrictions and 1,017 wildfires have devastated vegetation across England and Wales so far this year, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council.
Temperature records likely to be beaten
More long-standing temperature records are likely to be broken over the coming days.
- Wednesday became the first day in August to reach 35°C or more, making it the 4th consecutive month to reach this temperature.
- If temperatures reach 36°C or higher, 2026 will become the first year to record four separate days at or above that threshold.
- If temperatures reach 38°C today, there is a chance that the record for the hottest August day, which currently stands at 38.5°C, could be broken.
- Provided August temperatures remain average or above for the month, this summer will replace 2025 as the warmest on record.
The heatwave in pictures
Firefighters call for water bomb aircraft to tackle wildfires
Firefighters have called for “wildfire-fighting aircraft” to help combat spate of blazes as Britain braces for another heatwave, with temperatures set to rise above 35°C, possibly reaching 38°C.
The ‘dangerous’ scam tricking users into authorising
Concerns have been raised by the consumer group Which? over a “dangerous” scam that tricks victims into authorising card payments.
Familiar tactics
Which? warned that scammers may use similar tactics to those used in authorised push payment (APP) scams – where people are manipulated into making a bank transfer.
However, in this scam, victims are instead convinced to approve card payments.
5
3
Victims may face difficulty in getting their money back
Which? warned that victims may struggle to claim for payments they have authorised to a legitimate company, as the company has provided the intended services, even though it is part of a chain of fraud.
How to protect yourself from scams
- Never share sensitive information.
- If you receive an unexpected call, ring your bank immediately.
3
Universities at risk of going bust before 2026 freshers finish their degrees
Some universities are at risk of going bust before 2026 freshers have finished their degrees, experts have warned.
Bankruptcies, mergers and course closures are expected to accelerate from 2030 because of a projected decline in the population of 18-year-olds.
Why are universities struggling?
An immigration crackdown on lucrative oversea students and limits on tuition fees for British students has taken a financial toll on universities.
- Analysts previously said at least 119 higher education providers, accounting for 43 per cent of the sector, are “struggling financially” because of budget deficits.
Looming mergers
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) think-tank, said that more mergers between institutions will “definitely” happen.
- Hillman said it is predicted that over the next five years, student numbers will drop despite a record number of 18-year-olds securing their first choice this year.
- The Russell Group of elite universities will likely snap these up and could mean that less prestigious universities lose over 25 per cent of their undergraduate student fee income, according to a report by HEPI.
Courses closing
Mergers and a decline in applications to specialist institutions could see a decline in the number of courses available.
This is already being seen, with around 27,000 courses available in clearing this year, compared to 30,000 reported in previous years, according to Ucas.
3
3
Watch more from The i Paper
Concern raised over vape fluid chemical – what we know
Pregnant women should be warned of a “potential harm” linked to a common chemical used to flavour vapes, scientists have said.
What you need to know
Vanillin study
Research has found that vanillin, a flavouring in e-cigarettes, could “compromise core processes of early human development”.
Pregnancy warning
Mothers-to-be should be alerted to the findings, said study lead Prof Prue Talbot from University of California Riverside.
Vape packaging
The researchers called on regulators to consider mandatory ingredient disclosure on vape packaging.
A closer look at the science
What the US study found
- The US scientists exposed embryonic stem cells to vanillin in a series of lab tests.
- They found that even low doses, known as nanomolar concentrations, led to the early-stage cells losing the ability to develop.
- “Our data predict that nanomolar concentrations of vanillin may reach the embryo in pregnant women who vape,” Prof Talbot said.
- Marian Knight, professor of maternal and child population health at the University of Oxford, said the study was “well designed”.
- However, she noted that the way in which cells were exposed to the vanillin is “very different from how the cells of a developing embryo might come in contact with vanillin”.
4
“The accusation or critique of European partners has been that a lot of the Russian assets and intelligence personnel that were expelled moved to Austria and used it as a home base,” said Paul Schliefsteiner, head of Austrian Center for Intelligence, Propaganda and Security Studies.
In February, satellites at the Russian embassy in Vienna were reportedly moved to capture signals from the Munich Security Conference attended by leaders including Sir Keir Starmer, the former prime minister, and Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State.
The embassy – Russia’s largest in Europe, dubbed “Russencity” – has gained many new enhanced satellite dishes in recent years, thought to be serving as listening devices.
European officials told the that the embassy has effectively become the largest signals intelligence (Sigint) gathering node in the Western world, used to tap sensitive communications across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Andrei Soldatov, a leading expert on Russia’s security services, says Austria has been “key to Russian intelligence operations for many years”. This is partly due to official tolerance of such activities, he said, with deeply entrenched relations between the countries’ security officials.
Kremlin operatives have targeted foreign delegations and organisations in Vienna like the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, he said, adding that diplomats visiting the OSCE headquarters are advised not to use their phones or come too close to the windows to avoid Russian surveillance.
Soldatov said Austria serves as an entry point to Europe for Russian agents. He believes the country is used to direct some of the sabotage operations that are escalating across the continent, from bomb plots against French airports to arson attacks on Ukraine-linked warehouses in the UK.
“The model is that when you organise [operations], you have people acting in country one, but you get everything organised in country two to make things more difficult for counter-intelligence services,” he said.
Edward Lucas, a British author and espionage expert, said Vienna has been useful to Russia because of the many foreign officials at the dozens of international organisations it hosts, from a global headquarters of the UN to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“It’s a great place to recruit your kind of miserable, alcoholic, lecherous, heavily-indebted American, British, French, German diplomat whose career is languishing in some obscure corner of one of the many international agencies based in Vienna,” he said.
The central European location also offers advantages. “If you’re running an agent in the Czech Republic, or trying to recruit someone in Germany, interested in what’s going on at a certain American military base in Italy, doing it from the Vienna station is quite attractive.”
Moscow’s influence in Austria dates back to the liberation of Vienna by the Red Army at the end of the Second World War, and an occupation that continued into the mid-1950s.
The Soviet Union was “running the place” after the war, said Tobias Ellwood, a former foreign office minister who was raised in the Austrian capital. “They left a massive footprint, which has continued ever since.” Ellwood recalls that during the 1970s, “Vienna was just full of spies. Most of my friends’ parents worked for one clandestine service or another.”
Trade ties blossomed after the USSR became the main supplier of gas to Austria in the late 1960s, bringing thousands of Russians to the country.
Austria embraced its role as a “meeting ground” during the Cold War, said Schliefsteiner. Hosting major international bodies came with the obligation to allow member countries a diplomatic presence in Vienna, creating opportunities for Moscow to exploit.
Daniel Fried, a veteran US ambassador and diplomat, said Russian agents have for decades seen Austria as “one giant safe house” and used it as a base for covert activities. He said the lack of monitoring in Vienna has been “an issue of enormous frustration to Americans for a very long time”.
But there are signs that the party may be over for Kremlin agents, with the government signalling a tougher stance in the wake of several cases that drew widespread outrage.
A former Austrian intelligence officer, Egisto Ott, was found guilty of spying for Russia in May in the country’s largest espionage trial in years. The operative conspired with another suspected Russian asset, fugitive Austrian businessman Jan Marsalek, and supplied information used by the Kremlin to target the director of open-source investigation team Bellingcat, Christo Grozev, in 2023.
That same year, Austria’s former foreign minister, Karin Kneissl, moved to Russia following controversy over her relations with the Kremlin, including a dance with Putin at her wedding in 2018.
Government ministers have publicly identified Moscow as a threat to Austria, while foreign minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger travelled to Kyiv in February in a show of solidarity. Schliefsteiner observed that the new foreign minister “seems to have much less concern regarding angering Russia”.
Vienna has signed off on EU sanctions against Moscow, and ended imports of Russian gas.
Austria’s justice ministry is advancing a bill aimed at limiting foreign espionage by making it an offence to spy on foreign groups, punishable with a lengthy prison sentence.
A spokesperson for the ministry told The i Paper: “In view of increasing intelligence activities by foreign actors, the Austrian government clearly committed to a package of measures against espionage.”
The government expelled three Russian officials in May over suspected spying from the embassy. This week, Austrian authorities announced a bust of a company in Vienna supplying components to the Russian military in violation of EU sanctions through a network of international shell companies.
Analysts say that bringing Austria into line with Western Europe in its approach to Russian subversion will be a challenging, long-term process that will require support from international partners.
But the loss of a relative safe haven in Europe would be a major blow to Putin, Soldatov believes, and would “send a strong signal to Moscow”.