Slovakia expels 35 Russian diplomats

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Slovakia Juraj Tomaga announced yesterday that the country will “reduce 35 staff of the Russian embassy in Bratislava” based on information provided by intelligence agencies. “We regret that the Russian diplomatic mission has not shown any interest in the normal operation in Slovakia following the expulsions of the past few years,” the official said.

Slovakia earlier this month also expelled three diplomats Russia on charges of espionage. Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger expressed his displeasure on Facebook with a post titled “Dasvidania”, which means “goodbye” in Russian.

“My government will not tolerate Russians operating under diplomatic cover in Slovakia to conduct large-scale espionage activities, corrupt citizens, propagate disinformation and polarize society,” he said. our association,” wrote Mr. Heger.

In August, Bratislava also expelled three Russian diplomats for “serious crimes”, after local media reported that the three could be involved in the murder of a former Chechen rebel in public. member in Berlin.

There are about 45 Russian diplomats officially active in Slovakia as of 2020. The current number is unknown.

Slovakia’s move to expel comes a day after other European Union (EU) countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and the Czech Republic simultaneously announced the expulsation of dozens of Russian diplomats suspected of being suspected of being Russian diplomats. spy.

Many countries, including the United States and Poland, previously expelled Russian diplomats, after Moscow launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says more than 4 million Ukrainians have fled the country since the conflict, of which more than 2.3 million have gone to neighboring Poland.

Hong Hanh (According to AFP)