The Moldovan Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Oleg Vasnetsov and told him that one of the Russian embassy's employees had been declared persona non grata.
Source: Moldovan Foreign Ministry, Evropeiskaia Pravda.
The decision to expel him was made as a result of measures taken to collect information and evidence that the Russian diplomat was carrying out activities incompatible with his diplomatic status in Moldova, the ministry explained.
This happened after the detention of two people in a treason case following searches in the parliament.
One of the detainees, according to media reports, is the head of the parliament's legal department, Ion Kryange. He was allegedly caught red-handed while passing information to the Russian Embassy in Chisinau.
"We perceive all these actions as very unfriendly," the Russian ambassador said in a conversation with journalists after being summoned to the Foreign Ministry, as quoted by Newsmaker.
Asked whether he was aware that the embassy employee had received information from Moldovan officials, Vasnetsov replied: "We have a small number of diplomats left in the embassy... the investigation is still ongoing, as you know... It is very strange that the declaration of persona non grata is taking place at a time when the evidence has not yet been collected."
Asked whether Russia would react to Chisinau's decision, he replied: "You know that Russia always finds answers. There will definitely be a response."
Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 01/08/2024