Russia Expels More European Diplomats in Latest Retaliatory Move
The French embassy in Moscow.KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGESRussia said it would expel dozens of French, Spanish and Italian diplomats following action by Paris, Madrid and Rome last month to eject scores of Russian embassy staff.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that it had declared 34 French, 27 Spanish and 24 Italian diplomats "personae non gratae" and had ordered them to leave the country.
Paris said last month that it had shut down a Russian espionage operation on French soil and ordered six embassy employees it said were Russian intelligence agents working under diplomatic cover to leave the country.
France had previously booted 35 Russian diplomats, saying their activities undermined French security. Spain and Italy had also ejected several Russian diplomats in early April.
The latest expulsions come just a day after Russia summoned the Finnish ambassador over what it called Helsinki’s confrontational stance toward Moscow and its supply of weapons to Ukraine. Russia said it would expel a pair of Finnish diplomats.
Several European countries recently said they would kick out scores of Russian officials over national-security threats, citing spying and influence operations.
Moscow has since been responding with tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions.
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