Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov listens to a question during a news conference at the foreign ministry in Madrid, Spain, November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said he was “unpleasantly surprised” by the news about a retired Austrian colonel suspected of spying for Moscow on Friday, Russian news agencies RIA and Interfax reported.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said earlier that the recently retired officer, who he did not name, may have carried out spying activities since the 1990s.