In coordinated action taken in the shadow of Moscow’s war in Ukraine, some EU countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and the Czech Republic have announced the expulsion of dozens of Russian diplomats suspected of spying.
In a statement, Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes said her country was kicking out 21 diplomats from Russia’s embassy in Brussels and consulate in Antwerp, giving them two weeks to leave.Â
According to her, the move was made in conjunction with the neighboring Netherlands, whose foreign ministry stated that it was expelling 17 Russian diplomats considered “secretly active” as intelligence officers.
On their part, Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Coveney stated that four “senior officials” from Russia’s embassy in Dublin had been told to leave for engaging in activities “not… in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behavior” — code for spying.
Similarly, the Czech foreign ministry said one diplomat in the Russian embassy in Prague had been given 72 hours to leave. A Czech official told newsmen that the diplomat was Russia’s deputy ambassador.
In a Twitter statement, Czech ministry said “Together with our Allies, we are reducing the Russian intelligence presence in the EU”.
In order not to be taken unawares, and knowing that Russia might retaliate, the EU countries have begun ordering out some of their own diplomats.
It can easily be deduced that the recent expulsions are part of moves to bring Russia to its knees following its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. Records have it that already, several rounds of sanctions engineered mainly by the EU and the U.S. have severely injured Russia’s economy.
In its reaction to the growing sanctions, Russia now considers all EU countries, along with the United States and allies including Japan, Britain and Australia, to be “hostile” countries.
It could be recalled that on the heels of Russia’s invasion, the United States in early March kicked out 12 Russian diplomats based in New York it deemed to be “intelligence operatives.”
The President Putin-led government retaliated by handing the U.S. a list of American diplomats declared “persona non grata.”
It could also be recalled that Poland, an EU country neighboring Ukraine, recently expelled 45 Russian diplomats over alleged espionage, prompting Moscow to accuse Warsaw of embarking on “a dangerous escalation.”
NCNC recalls that in April last year, the Czech Republic expelled dozens of Russian diplomats and Russia retaliated in a tit-for-tat move. Meanwhile, Prague had previously accused Russian secret services of orchestrating blasts at an ammunition depot in eastern Czech Republic which killed two people in 2014.
