Sweden expels 3 Russian diplomats over alleged war crimes

Sweden expelled three Russian diplomats in protest of Moscow’s alleged war crimes in Ukraine, the Swedish foreign minister said Tuesday.

Moscow’s ambassador to Sweden was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and was informed about the decision, Ann Linde said at a news conference.

Underlining that Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine, Linde said Sweden and the EU have strongly condemned Russia’s attacks on the country.

Sweden joined several European countries, including France, Germany, Netherlands and Denmark, which have expelled Russian diplomats in recent days.

Separately, the Swedish Prosecution Authority said it launched a preliminary investigation into war crimes committed in Ukraine.

“Given the information that is available about the situation in Ukraine, there is reason to believe that grave war crimes are being committed," it said.

Encouraging those who have been the victims of or witnessed "violence against civilians in Ukraine" to testify, the Swedish authority added the "purpose is to as early as possible secure evidence that could be available in Sweden so that it could be used in future legal proceedings, either in Sweden, another country’s court or in an international court such as the International Criminal Court (ICC)."