Germany, Poland and Sweden have each expelled a Russian diplomat in response to Russia's expulsion of three EU diplomats last week. The Kremlin had accused the European diplomats of participating in mass street protests in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, a claim the affected countries have rejected as unjustified.
The expulsions were announced while EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell was visiting Moscow on Friday. In a blog post on Sunday, Borrell described the situation as a sign that Europe and Russia are drifting apart, adding that the Russian authorities had not seized the opportunity for constructive dialogue.
One Russian diplomat must now leave the German embassy in Berlin, another the Swedish embassy in Stockholm, and a third the Russian consulate in Poznan, Poland. The German foreign ministry stated that its own diplomat who was expelled from Moscow had merely been observing developments by lawful means, in line with diplomatic conventions.
The expulsions come amid heightened tensions over the poisoning and jailing of Navalny. The EU has condemned his arrest and called for his immediate release, as well as urging Russia to conduct a transparent investigation into his poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok. Navalny accuses President Vladimir Putin of ordering the attack, while the Kremlin denies any involvement.
