Russia expels Estonia's diplomat in tit-for-tat response

Moscow, Sep 4 Russia on Thursday summoned Estonia's Charge d'Affaires in Moscow, Marek Uhtegi to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and conveyed that a diplomatic employee of Estonia would be expelled as a retaliatory move.

In a statement, Russian Foreign Ministry said that a strong protest was expressed to the head of Estonian diplomatic mission over declaration of Russian diplomat in Tallinn as "persona non grata" without any grounds.

"On September 4, the Charge d'Affaires of Estonia in Russia, M. Juhtegi, was summoned to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A strong protest has been expressed to the head of the Estonian diplomatic mission in connection with the declaration on August 13 of a diplomat of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Tallinn as “persona non grata” without any grounds," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Based on the principle of reciprocity, the Russian side announced that a diplomatic employee of the Estonian embassy in Moscow would be expelled from Russia. The Estonian side was also informed that any hostile actions by Tallinn would not go unanswered," it added.

Russia's decision comes after Estonia's Foreign Ministry on August 13 announced that it was expelling a Russian diplomat for interfering in its domestic affairs and several offences related to sanctions violations.

Estonia's Foreign Ministry stated that the First Secretary of the Russian Embassy in Tallinn has been declared "persona non grata" and asked to leave. The ministry did not mention the name of the diplomat, Euro News reported.

In a statement, Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna 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."

Tsahkna stated that Russian diplomat had been "contributing to the crimes against the state, including several offences related to sanctions violations." He did not mention details regarding the sanctions that had been violated, Euro News reported. Notably, the Western nations have imposed several sanctions against Russia after the conflict in Ukraine started in 2022.

The ministry said that an Estonian individual has been convicted of conducting crimes linked to the case. Tsahkna further said, "The Russian embassy's ongoing interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Estonia must end." He stated that expulsion of diplomat demonstrates that Estonia will not allow any action orchestrated by a foreign state on its territory.

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