Moldova to expel 22 Russian diplomats

Moldova has reported reducing the number of Russian diplomats in the country, as per its Foreign Ministry.

“This decision is the result of numerous unfriendly acts against the Republic of Moldova unconnected with diplomacy mandates, as well as a response to attempts to destabilise the situation in our country,” the agency says in its press release.

Igor Zakharov, an advisor to Moldova’s Foreign Minister, says 22 diplomats and 23 support staff members will have to leave the country before 15 August.

“A total of 22 diplomats and 23 support staff members will leave Russia’s embassy. They were not declared personae non gratae, it’s just they are asked to leave the country to maintain diplomatic parity,” he said.

Russia will be left with only 10 diplomats and 15 support staff members in its Chisinau embassy.

Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, has stated that this decision was “another step towards destroying the bilateral relations made by the Chisinau regime”.

The Insider and Jurnal TV published a joint investigation on 24 July, revealing that dozens of antennas and satellite receivers were mounted on the roof of the Russian embassy in Moldova, used to eavesdrop on phone calls and intercept radio communications.

The investigation also revealed that secret officers of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate and Foreign Intelligence Service appear on the roof of Russia’s embassy every now and then. These people are connected with hacker groups that previously hacked into email accounts of Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, and Hillary Clinton.