Four European Countries Expel Dozens Of Russian Diplomats For Alleged Spying
Four European countries -- the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, and the
Czech Republic -- announced major expulsions of Russian diplomats on
March 29 for alleged espionage as Moscow’s war against Ukraine continues
to rage.
The Netherlands announced the expulsion of 17 Russian diplomats who the
Dutch Foreign Ministry says were acting as intelligence officers, while
Belgium expelled 21 Russian diplomats, Ireland asked four to leave, and
the Czech Republic one.
The Dutch ministry said in a statement that the ambassador of Russia was
summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and informed of the
expulsion.
"The reason is that there is information...showing that the persons
concerned, accredited as diplomats, are secretly active as intelligence
officers," the statement said.
The diplomats must leave the Netherlands within two weeks, Dutch Foreign
Minister Wopke Hoekstra said, according Dutch state news outlet NOS
News.
"These people have diplomat on their business card when they are
actually doing something completely different," Hoekstra said without
elaborating on what kind of alleged espionage they were engaged in.
"We have made this decision for the sake of Dutch security," says
Hoekstra. "In the greatly changed context, with the war in Ukraine and
the increasing Russian assertiveness."
A total of 75 Russian diplomats are accredited in the Netherlands, so
there will still be 58 remaining in the country after the 17 leave.
Hoekstra expects that Russia will also expel Dutch diplomats in
response.
Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said it had summoned the Russian
ambassador to advise him that four senior officials have been asked to
leave.
"This is because their activities have not been in accordance with
international standards of diplomatic behavior," the ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter.
The statement said that the Irish government “continues to believe that
diplomatic channels between Ireland and the Russian Federation should
remain open.”
The Belgian government said the 21 Russian diplomats it is expelling
participated in activities related to espionage or unlawful influence
peddling.
The diplomats were given two weeks to leave the country, foreign affairs spokeswoman Elke Pattyn told the AP news agency.
The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Twitter that
it informed the Russian Embassy that one of its diplomatic staff had
been declared persona non grata and was requested to leave within 72
hours.
“Together with our Allies, we are reducing the Russian intelligence presence in the EU,” the ministry said.
With reporting by AFP, NOS News, AP, and Reuters
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