Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland expel 42 Russian diplomats

The Netherlands announced it decided to expel 17 Russian diplomats.

The government made the decision because of the national security threat posed by the diplomats who were secretly operating as intelligence officers, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said it is prepared for the various scenarios which might come from Russia as a consequence of the decision.

It also stressed that the decision was made in consultation with other countries that made similar decisions, including the US, Poland, the Baltic states, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Montenegro.

Similarly, Belgium’s Belga news agency reported that country decided to expel 21 Russian diplomats for alleged spying and posing threats to security.

And the Irish Foreign Ministry told local media that it asked four Russian diplomats to leave as their activities were not in line with international standards of diplomatic behavior.

The Czech Foreign Ministry later announced that an additional Russian diplomat was declared persona non grata and was asked to leave in 72 hours.