Estonia expels Russian diplomat for subversive activities
Estonia on Wednesday expelled a Russian diplomat for activities connected to "undermining the constitutional order and legal system of Estonia" and "dividing Estonian society," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The ministry summoned the chargé d'affaires of the Russian embassy to present a diplomatic note on declaring the first secretary of the Russian embassy's staff persona non grata.
The diplomat must leave Estonia.
When presenting the note, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Estonia will not tolerate "Russia's activities against our constitutional order and internal stability, and considers it necessary to express this very clearly."
The minister said Estonia will also inform its partners and allies of the incident.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said: "The diplomat in question has been directly and actively involved in undermining the constitutional order and legal system of Estonia, as well as in dividing Estonian society, contributing to the crimes against the state, including several offences related to sanctions violations. At present, one citizen of the Republic of Estonia has been convicted for carrying out these crimes. The Russian embassy's ongoing interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Estonia must end and by expelling the diplomat, we are demonstrating that Estonia will not allow any actions orchestrated and organized by a foreign state on its territory."
Estonia and Russia have recalled their ambassadors and the embassies are headed by chargés d'affaires ad interim in both countries.
According to the website of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are three first secretaries at the Russian embassy, but a spokesperson could not say which would be expelled.
Russia to expel diplomat
A representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that Estonia's move will not go unanswered. A countermeasure is currently being prepared.
"This is not the first such hostile act by Estonia. I must say we are even used to it," said Alexey Fadeev, deputy director of the ministry's Information and Press Department.
"As for the response, these are usually worked out for some time and then made public. Therefore, we will give our comment at the appropriate time on what measures we will take against Estonian diplomats," he added.
Diplomatic practice is based on the principle of reciprocity.
This article was updated to add Russia's response.
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Editor: Helen Wright
