Russia expels Bulgarian envoys as latter declares Kremlin associates 'personae non grata'

Amidst the ongoing war, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it has declared some employees of the Bulgarian embassy in Moscow “personae non grata.” While the Kremlin stopped short of revealing an exact number of the diplomats that have been expelled, it said that the decision was made in retaliation for Sofia’s removal of Russian officials. It is pertinent to note that not only Bulgaria but a couple of European countries have expelled Russian diplomats and officials in the wake of the ongoing invasion.

Last week, the Bulgarian administration announced the expulsion in a statement. “Bulgaria is expelling 10 Russian diplomats saying they were carrying out activities deemed incompatible with their diplomatic status,” it said. The move was quickly followed up by the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. 

EU countries expel Russian officials 

Earlier, four European countries expelled as many as 43 Russian diplomats in a single day. The Netherlands announced that it was ousting 17 diplomats accusing them of being “secretly active” intelligence officers serving the Kremlin. Soon after, 3 other countries- Ireland, Belgium, and the Czech Republic announced a similar decision. Notably, the expulsions came as Russian-Ukrainian delegates met in Istanbul for another round of negotiations to end the ongoing conflict.

Revealing details of the expulsions, Daily Mail revealed that the Belgian administration removed a total of 21 diplomats from service accusing them of espionage. They have all been given two weeks to leave the country. Notably, the decision was taken in coordination with the Dutch administration. 

More recently Greece also dismissed Russian diplomats stationed in the country in response to the Ukraine war and the recent Bucha atrocities. In a statement, the Greek Foreign Ministry announced that 12 Russian diplomats had been asked to leave the country and had been declared “personae non-gratae” by the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention. France and Italy has taken similar measures. 

(Image: AP)