Moldova expels Russian diplomats, Moscow says it will respond

On August 1st, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that the assistant military attaché of the Russian embassy was a persona non grata, accusing him of involvement in activities "inconsistent with diplomatic status."

The Russian Embassy in Moldova. (Source: Reuters)

According to the TASS news agency, on July 31, the Moldovan prosecutor's office announced the arrest of a Moldovan parliamentary employee and a border police officer on suspicion of treason and transferring information to a foreign embassy.

The prosecutor's office did not mention the suspected country or the names of the officials, but a Moldovan security source confirmed that the two suspects were arrested on suspicion of providing information to the Russian Deputy Defense Attaché in Chisinau.

The Moldovan Foreign Ministry said it summoned the Russian ambassador to Chisinau, Oleg Vasnetsov, to deliver an official protest note regarding the incident and demanded that the employee leave the Eastern European country within a specified timeframe.

Following the meeting, Ambassador Vasnetsov accused Moldova of taking "unfriendly" steps aimed at undermining relations with Russia, emphasizing: "In any case, this does not contribute to the spirit of normal understanding and cooperation between the two sides, which we have always urged the Moldovan leadership to pursue."

Meanwhile, on the same day, August 1st, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Moscow would retaliate against Chisinau's decision to expel its citizens.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/moldova-truc-xuat-nhan-vien-ngoai-giao-nga-moscow-noi-se-dap-tra-280987.html