Estonia expels Russian diplomat for interfering in internal affairs

(Patria) - The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday that it had declared a Russian diplomat in Tallinn persona non grata for interfering in internal affairs.

"Estonia today declared a member of the Russian Embassy staff with diplomatic status persona non grata", wrote Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna on platform X.

According to him, the Russian Embassy interfered in Estonia's internal affairs, specifically in a court case, by obtaining criminal case documents and contributing to their publication on Russian social networks.

Today #Estonia declared a member of the Russian embassy’s staff with diplomatic status 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑛𝑜𝑛 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑎.

We will not tolerate nor accept any interference by Russia in #Estonia’s internal matters & we´ll respond in a quick & concrete manner. https://t.co/aCCk34cdxU

— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) March 19, 2024

Tsahkna called on Russian special services to stop coordinated actions against Estonia, including hybrid operations.

An official note was handed to the Chargé d'Affaires of the Russian Embassy in Tallinn, as the ambassador was expelled from Estonia in January 2023. This was a reciprocal measure due to a decision made by Moscow.

After the new expulsion from the Russian Embassy, six diplomats will remain in Tallinn, an unnamed spokesperson for the Estonian MFA told Agence France-Presse.