Russia to expel Estonian diplomat

HELSINKI – Russia has declared an Estonian diplomat working at the Estonian embassy in Moscow persona non grata, which essentially means expulsion from the country, according to information published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website on Thursday.

According to the ministry, the move is a response to Estonia, which in August made a similar decision to expel a Russian diplomat working at the Tallinn embassy. According to the ministry, the move is a response to Estonia, which in August made a similar decision to expel a Russian diplomat working at the Tallinn embassy. Estonia's hostile steps will not go unanswered, Russia notes.

Susan Lilleväli, head of public relations at the Estonian Foreign Ministry, told BNS that Russia's move to expel the Estonian diplomat was expected after Estonia announced on Aug. 13 that it had expelled a Russian diplomat and declared them persona non grata.

"When handing over the note, the Estonian Foreign Ministry informed the representative of the Russian embassy that Estonia does not intend to tolerate Russia's actions against our constitutional order and domestic stability and considers it necessary to express this very clearly," Lilleväli said.