Washington: The US government ordered two Russian diplomats to leave the country on Friday. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the move was in response to Russia’s expulsion of two US diplomats.
Miller said, “The Russian government’s harassment of our diplomats is unacceptable.” Any action against the staff of our embassy in Moscow is not acceptable.
The US has decided to expel Russian diplomats at a time when tensions between the US and Russia have increased over the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.
Accused of participating in illegal activities
On September 14, the Russian Foreign Ministry ordered First Secretary Jeffrey Silin and Second Secretary David Bernstein of the US Embassy in Moscow to leave the country within seven days, accusing them of engaging in ‘illegal activities’.
The ministry claimed to be in contact with US diplomats Silin and Bernstein, a former consulate employee, Robert Shonov. Shonov is accused of gathering information for US diplomats on Russian military operations in Ukraine and other related issues.
Ex-employee arrested
Russia’s federal security agency, the FSB, confirmed Shonov’s arrest in August. The FSB said Shonov had ‘conducted special military operations in Russian territories and collected Russian information’.