Moldova declares Russian diplomat persona non grata

MOSCOW

Moldova on Tuesday declared a Russian diplomat persona non grata for holding the 2024 presidential election in the breakaway region of Transnistria.

The Foreign Ministry in a statement on Telegram said it informed Russian Ambassador to Moldova Oleg Vasnetsov about the decision.

"A protest was registered in connection with the organization of the presidential election of the Russian Federation on the territory of the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova, contrary to the position of the Moldovan authorities.

"In this context, the ambassador was handed a note stating that one of the embassy staff had been declared persona non grata on the territory of the Republic of Moldova and had to leave the country," it said.

Last month, Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi said they banned the setting up of polling stations for the Russian presidential election outside of its embassy premises in Chinisau. But six more polling stations were set up in Transnistria, where more than 250,000 Russian nationals live.

Transnistria, internationally recognized as part of Moldova, declared its independence in 1990 after Moldova proclaimed itself independent from the Soviet Union.

The Russian presidential election, the first three-day presidential vote in the country's history, took place from March 15 to 17, with incumbent Vladimir Putin winning by a landslide.