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Estonia’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Russian diplomats were banishing them to block several crimes related to domestic issues and sanctions violations.
The ministry declared the first secretary of the Russian Embassy in Tallinn Personanongrata and ordered diplomats to leave Estonia. Individuals are not named.
“The diplomat in question is directly and actively involved in the weakening of Estonian constitutional order and legal system, as well as the division of Estonian society,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margas Tsakna said in a statement.
Diplomats also contribute to crimes against the state, including several crimes related to sanctions violations,” Tuna said.
He did not provide details as to which sanctions were violated. Russia is suffering from widespread Western sanctions over a full-scale Ukraine invasion in 2022.
The Estonian citizen was found guilty of carrying out a crime in connection with the case, the ministry said without any details.
“The continued interference of the Russian Embassy in the internal affairs of the Republic of Estonia must end,” Tsuna added.
“By ousting diplomats, Estonia demonstrates that it does not allow action organized and organized on its territory by foreign states.”
In response to the expulsion, Moscow said it would take retaliation measures.
“This is by no means the first hostile act on Estonia’s part. We must even say that we are already used to it,” Alexei Fadiv, deputy spokesman and information director of the Russian Foreign Ministry, was quoted as saying by the TASS Communications Agency.
“We will provide a comment in time on what steps will be taken regarding Estonian diplomats.”
Like other Baltic countries, NATO and Estonian neighbours Russia, a member of the EU, have remained ice since independence in 1991.
These ties have deteriorated significantly in recent years after Russia’s full-scale Ukrainian invasion in 2022, with Tallinn being a strong supporter of Kiev during the war.
Estonia and Russia have downgraded diplomatic relations and ordered the ambassadors to leave their respective embassies in 2023.
