Russia expels Slovak diplomat in apparent tit-for-tat move

The Russian Foreign Ministry says it has declared a military attaché in the Slovak Embassy in Moscow as “persona non grata” and ordered the diplomat to leave Russia.

In a press conference in Moscow on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova announced the news, adding that the Slovak attaché had only two days to leave the country.

“Several days ago, a Slovak military diplomat in Russia was declared persona non grata. He is to leave our country within two days. A corresponding note was filed with the Slovak ambassador in Moscow on December 11,” she said.

On November 22, Bratislava had expelled a member of the military attaché’s office at the Russian Embassy in Slovakia over “spying” charges.

Earlier this month, the Slovakian government said that it had expelled the Russian diplomat after receiving information from the country’s military intelligence purportedly showing that the suspect had engaged in espionage activities against Slovakia, which is a member state both to NATO and the European Union (EU).

Zakharova described the expulsion of the Russian diplomat as an “unfriendly act.”

SS