Finland intends to send 9 employees of the Russian Embassy

Finland intends to expel nine Russian diplomats working in the embassy in Helsinki. They were suspected of working for Russian intelligence, the office of the Finnish president reported on Tuesday.

In the office, speaking of the employees of the Russian Embassy, ​​they indicated that “their actions violate the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.” The Finnish authorities indicated that the Russian ambassador would be informed of the expulsion.

The decision, as noted, was made at a meeting between the President of Finland, Saula Niiniste, and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy.

In April of this year, Sweden expelled five Russian diplomats, citing “conduct of activities incompatible with their diplomatic status.” Also, since September, Sweden is closing the Russian Consulate General in Gothenburg.

As a response, Russia announced at the end of May that it was expelling five Swedish diplomats and withdrawing consent to the activities of the Consulate General of Sweden in St. Petersburg.

Earlier in April, Norway also expelled 15 employees of the Russian embassy, ​​who, according to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were employees of Russian intelligence and worked under the cover of diplomatic posts, writes “Voice of America”.

• After the beginning of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine in February last year, European countries expelled dozens of Russian diplomats. Moscow usually responds to this in the opposite way.
• After the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, Sweden and Finland announced their intention to join NATO, abandoning the neutrality they had adhered to for many years. On the first day of April this year, Finland officially became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.