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On the roof of Russia's diplomatic complex in Vienna, a forest of satellite dishes has sprouted. But why, if they’re for communicating with Moscow, are they pointing in every direction but east? An #FTEdit 🧵 on how Vienna became home to the Kremlin’s largest covert signals intelligence platform 👇

Vienna, a UN base and “optimally positioned”, has long been a spy hub but when Russian operatives came under pressure across Europe after Putin’s 2022 Ukraine invasion, neutral Austria took a more permissive approach. The city has since become an espionage boomtown.

On the rooftop of the largest Russian compound in Vienna, dubbed “Russencity”, the frequency with which dishes are repositioned suggests they are being used to target multiple satellites. On the eve of the Munich Security Conference last month, for example, one of the biggest dishes was reoriented.

Images analysed by the FT also show that lenses have been installed in front of the satellite receivers, allowing them to “squint” at a broader range of signals. Russia is not just snooping on satellite and electronic communications in Europe, but also on those in the Middle East and Africa.

Russencity is just one of several Russian-owned sites in Vienna with large rooftop installations, including the Russian Embassy and cultural centre. But Austria’s counter-intelligence can do little: under Austrian law, espionage can't be prosecuted unless it is carried out against national interest.