The Ministry called in the ambassadors of the three Baltic nations on Tuesday to announce the expulsion of some of their diplomats in response to a similar move by three Baltic states.

“On March 29, Ambassador of Latvia M. Riekstins, Ambassador of Lithuania E. Bajarunas and Ambassador of Estonia M. Laidre were summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The heads of diplomatic missions were strongly protested in connection with the provocative, unjustified actions to expel employees of Russian embassies in these Baltic states,” the Ministry said in a statement.

“Based on the principle of reciprocity, the accreditation of four employees of the Lithuanian Embassy, three of the Latvian Embassy, as well as three representatives of the Estonian Embassy and the Pskov Office of the Consulate General of Estonia in St. Petersburg has been announced,” it added.

Earlier this month, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia expelled 10 Russian diplomats in a coordinated move, citing activities that are contrary to their diplomatic status as well as the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine. (ILKHA)