Belgium has decided to expel 21 people working for the Russian embassy and consulate, suspected of being involved "
in
operations of espionage
and influence threatening national security
", announced Tuesday March 29 the head of Belgian diplomacy, Sophie Wilmès.
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Similar decisions were announced the same day in other European countries: Ireland will expel four Russian diplomats, and the Netherlands has in its sights 17 accredited on its soil qualified as "
Russian intelligence officers
".
Belgium and the Netherlands are carrying out these expulsions in a concerted manner, the cabinet of Sophie Wilmès told AFP.
The Belgian minister relayed on her Twitter account an announcement just made before a committee of Parliament, where she specified that the 21 people concerned will have to leave Belgian territory within 15 days.
These are staff from the Russian embassy in Brussels, and from the consulate located in Antwerp (north), again according to the services of Sophie Wilmès.
58 Russian diplomats remaining
The Belgian government has no jurisdiction over diplomats accredited to the European Union (EU) and NATO, institutions which have their headquarters in Brussels.
In the Netherlands, the 17 deportations are also decided within the framework of national security policy.
The Dutch government decided to expel these people "
because of the threat to national security posed by this group
" (of intelligence officers), and "
the current attitude of Russia at large makes the presence of these unwanted intelligence officers
,” the Foreign Office in The Hague said.
Read alsoHow the Russian embassies, entered into “special operation”, broke with the codes of diplomacy
After the departure of these 17 people, there will remain 58 Russian diplomats in the Netherlands, according to the Dutch press agency ANP.
Other countries, such as the United States, Poland and the Baltic countries have already announced that they have expelled Russian intelligence agents since the invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces on February 24.
Regarding the Baltic countries, Moscow announced Tuesday the expulsion of ten diplomats from these countries, in retaliation for a similar measure against representatives of Moscow.
