Four EU countries are expelling more than 40 Russian diplomats suspected of spying in a coordinated move.
On Tuesday afternoon, expulsion orders were issued by Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic for a total of 43 embassy personnel.
Similar actions have been taken by other EU members, including Poland, in the last week.
The expulsions, according to Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmès, were “related to our national security.”
Ms Wilmès told parliament that 21 members of staff at the Russian embassy in Brussels and the consulate in Antwerp had been asked to leave the country, with two weeks to do so.
She went on to say that the move was made in collaboration with Belgium’s neighbor, the Netherlands, whose foreign ministry announced the expulsion of 17 Russian diplomats it deemed to be “secretly active” as intelligence officers.
Micheál Martin, Ireland’s Taoiseach (Prime Minister), told lawmakers that his government had expelled four Russian diplomats after receiving security advice from the country’s intelligence officials.
According to Mr Martin, the officials were asked to leave the country “because their activities are not in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behavior.”
The Russian embassy in Dublin condemned the “baseless decision,” saying it would “further deteriorate Russian-Irish relations.”
Meanwhile, a Czech official told AFP that the diplomat who was expelled from Prague was Russia’s deputy ambassador.
“We are reducing the Russian intelligence presence in the EU together with our Allies,” the Czech foreign ministry tweeted.
Poland expelled 45 accredited diplomats on Wednesday for suspected espionage in the country.
On Twitter, Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski stated that Polish intelligence officials were “dismantling the Russian special services network in our country.”
Earlier this month, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia expelled a total of 20 Russian embassy employees for conduct “contrary to their diplomatic status.”
Russia has a history of retaliating against such decisions, and earlier today announced the expulsion of ten diplomats from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Source: BBC
