Russia expels Western diplomats for going to rallies in support of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny

Diplomats from Sweden and Poland in St. Petersburg and from Germany in Moscow took part in the ‘unlawful’ rallies, the foreign ministry said

The diplomats were being declared ‘persona non grata’ and were required to leave Russia ‘in the nearest future’, it added

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Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny looks from inside a glass cell during a court hearing in Moscow. Photo: Handout via AFP

Published: 11:45pm, 5 Feb 2021Updated: 2:28am, 6 Feb 2021

Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Friday said it was expelling diplomats from Sweden, Poland and Germany for attending rallies in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The diplomats were being declared “persona non grata” after they were alleged to have taken part in the “unlawful” rallies in support of Navalny on January 23, the ministry said. Mass protests in support of Navalny took place that day all across Russia.

Diplomats from Sweden and Poland in St. Petersburg and from Germany in Moscow took part in the rallies, it said, and their actions were “unacceptable and inappropriate for their diplomatic status”.

They were required to leave Russia “in the nearest future,” a ministry statement said.

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, left, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov ahead of their meeting on Friday. Photo: Vasily Maximov/European Commission/DPA

The announcement of the expulsions came as the European Union’s top diplomat told Russia’s foreign minister that the treatment of Navalny represents “a low point” in the relations between Brussels and Moscow.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell “strongly condemned” Moscow’s expulsion of three European diplomats when he was informed of it during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday, a spokesman said.