Vienna measurement confirms noise around Russian embassy

A measurement by Vienna city authorities has confirmed disruptive noise around the Russian Embassy, ORF reported. The sound, previously described by the Austrian Press Agency as unusually loud and measuring about 790 hertz, is now being assessed for possible health risks.

The noise can be heard around the Russian Federation’s embassy on Reisnerstrasse in Vienna’s Landstrasse district. Staff at the German Embassy opposite have described it as disruptive.

The Russian Embassy told APA that its team had not noticed any noise and had received no complaints from neighbours. However, APA has obtained an email sent to the embassy’s official address on July 28 in which the management of a neighbouring building complained about disruptive sounds and asked for an air-conditioning unit to be checked. Residents were unable to sleep at night because of the noise and could not keep their windows open in the heat, the message said.

Health risk assessment under way

The building management had previously contacted Vienna’s building police department, MA 37, on May 5 over significant noise pollution. The department commissioned the city’s environmental office, MA 22, to carry out a measurement, which was conducted on Tuesday.

According to APA information, an expert found that the disruptive sounds significantly exceeded the so-called designated-use baseline level, particularly at night. A spokeswoman for the building police said the department forwarded the expert’s assessment to Vienna’s public health service, MA 15, on Wednesday. The health service will examine whether the noise levels could pose a health risk.

Authorities would need Russian cooperation

If the Russian Embassy is the source of the noise, Austrian authorities would depend on Russian cooperation. Hans Winkler, former head of the International Law Office at Austria’s Foreign Ministry, told APA that coercive measures were ruled out and the matter could only be resolved diplomatically.

Winkler said it was a misconception that embassies were extraterritorial. The law of the host country also applied on embassy premises, he said, while stressing that the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations required embassies to comply with those rules.

Austria could ask Russia, through its ambassador, to stop noise pollution that violated Austrian regulations. However, this could only be done through diplomatic channels because the embassy is inviolable: Austrian authorities cannot enter without the ambassador’s consent.

The first step would be to speak with the embassy, before sending a formal note from the Foreign Ministry, summoning the ambassador or expelling embassy staff. Winkler said he considered the expulsion of a responsible embassy technician unlikely, describing such a response as disproportionate.