The Russian Foreign Ministry announced Monday (August 17th) that it had summoned the Dutch charge d'affaires ad interim to Moscow to protest against espionage targeting Russia's military attaché in the Netherlands. Russia " strongly protested " to the diplomat because of the discovery of " spy equipment in the service car of the Russian military attaché in the Netherlands, " the ministry said in a statement.
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" These unfriendly acts further complicate the already difficult relations between the two countries, " the statement said. Moscow called for " immediate comprehensive measures to prevent similar incidents " in the future, according to the same source.
According to Dutch public television, Prime Minister Mark Rutte declined to comment. Espionage cases have multiplied in recent years between Russia and the West, with whom relations are at their lowest since the Ukrainian crisis and the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 by Moscow.