Baltic countries order four Russian diplomats to leave

NATO and European Union members Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have ordered a total of four Russian diplomats working in local embassies to leave, to show solidarity with the Czech Republic, their foreign ministries said on Friday. Lithuania is sending two diplomats home and Latvia and Estonia one each.

NATO and European Union members Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have ordered a total of four Russian diplomats working in local embassies to leave, to show solidarity with the Czech Republic, their foreign ministries said on Friday.

Lithuania is sending two diplomats home and Latvia and Estonia one each. Those expelled had used diplomatic cover for spying, Lithuanian foreign affairs minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told reporters. "The EU should have less undercover Russian spies. Our Czech colleagues shed light on their unprecedented activities," he said.

The Czech Republic said last week that two Russian spies accused of poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal with a nerve-agent in Britain in 2018 were also behind an explosion at a Czech ammunition depot in 2014 that killed two people. Lithuania had called on Thursday for a NATO-wide show of solidarity with the Czech Republic, which expelled 18 Russian diplomatic staff from Prague on Saturday and on Thursday ordered Russia to remove most of its remaining diplomatic staff.