On Tuesday, Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said that the country had decided to expel 15 Russian diplomats.
Kofod told the press: “We have established that the expelled 15 intelligence agents carried out espionage activities on Danish territory,” stressing the determination to “send a clear signal to Russia that spying on Danish territory is unacceptable.”
Italian Foreign Minister Di Maio also announced the expulsion of 30 Russian diplomats “on the grounds of issues related to national security.”
On Monday, France said it would expel 35 Russian diplomats over Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, while Germany declared a “large number” of Russian diplomats persona non grata.
The expulsion of Russian diplomats comes as Russian forces are accused of committing “atrocities” against Ukrainian civilians in Bucha, outside Kyiv, which Moscow denies.
Russia vows revenge
The Russian Foreign Ministry responded to the news of the expulsion of its diplomats from several countries, by saying that “Russia will take revenge.”
The TASS news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that Russia would have an “appropriate response” to the expulsion of the diplomats.
And the former Russian president and deputy head of the country’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said late Monday that Russia would respond with the same force to the expulsion of its diplomats from a number of Western countries.
Medvedev said in a post on his Telegram channel: “Everyone knows the response: it will be just as powerful and devastating for bilateral relations… Who are they to be punished? First of all… themselves.”
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