The expulsions amount to a quarter of Russian diplomats now accredited to Oslo, according to the Norwegian government.
Norway is expelling 15 Russian embassy officials who the foreign ministry said today were Russian intelligence officers working as diplomatic agents, a move Moscow said it would respond to.
The expulsions amount to a quarter of Russian diplomats now accredited to Oslo, according to the Norwegian government.
“It is an important step in addressing, and limiting the level of, Russian espionage activity in Norway, and thereby safeguarding our national interests.”Norwegian Foreign Minister Aniken Hutfeld said in a statement.
“Russia is now the biggest espionage threat in Norway… We will not allow Russian intelligence officers to operate under diplomatic cover,” he added.
The officers in question must leave Norway soon, the ministry said in its statement.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow would respond to the deportations, state news agency TASS reported, without elaborating.
Norway, a member of the NATO military alliance, borders Russia in the Arctic.
It had also deported three Russians in April 2022.
The Scandinavian country still seeks to maintain normal diplomatic relations with Russia, and Russian diplomats are welcome in Norway, Hutfeld said.
Source :Skai
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