Ukraine Expels Russian Diplomat in Tit-for-Tat Move


Kiev claimed Tuesday it was expelling a Russian mediator from the port city of Odessa in action to the “unfriendly” removal of a Ukrainian embassy employee in Moscow.

The news came amid heightened stress in between Moscow and also Kiev over an uptick in dealing with between Ukraine’s army as well as pro-Russia separationists in eastern Ukraine.

It also contributed to a wave of diplomatic expulsions that have actually involved European and also russian mediators recently.

The Ukrainian international ministry said in a statement that due to “unfriendly activities taken against staff members of Ukraine’s diplomatic missions” in Russia, Moscow’s consul in Odessa had been proclaimed character non grata.

The agent was offered until the end of the day April 30 to leave the country, the statement added.

The ministry claimed Russia’s decision to remove a Ukrainian diplomat amounted to “the extension of an anti-Ukrainian campaign” and stated it would react to further activity from Moscow.

Ukraine recently had expelled a Russian diplomat in reaction to Moscow’s order for a Ukrainian consul in Russia’s 2nd city St. Petersburg to leave the country.

According to Russia’s safety firm, the consul was trying to obtain sensitive information from a Russian nationwide.

Recent weeks have seen a wave of expulsions of Russian officials from European nations and also the United States over claims of hacking and reconnaissance.

The Czech Republic particularly gotten greater than a dozen Russian embassy staff from Prague and several other European countries also removed Moscow’s diplomats in solidarity.

Kiev has actually been dealing with pro-Russia separatists in its eastern breakaway areas given that 2014, adhering to Moscow’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

A minimum of 31 Ukrainian soldiers have been eliminated considering that the begin of the year, contrasted to 50 in all of 2020, while the separationists claim 22 of their fighters have passed away.

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