Russia expels 1 Bulgarian, 10 Romanian diplomats

MOSCOW

In a retaliatory move, Russia on Friday declared a Bulgarian and 10 Romanian diplomats persona non grata.

Cristian Istrate and Atanas Krastin, the ambassadors of Romania and Bulgaria, were summoned by the Russian Foreign Ministry and handed notes ordering the expulsion of their diplomats from Moscow.

The measure was taken in response to Bulgaria and Romania’s “unmotivated decision” in April to expel Russian diplomats from embassies in Sofia and Bucharest, the Foreign Ministry said.

Regarding Romania, the ministry said Moscow “resolutely rejects” what it termed Bucharest’s “groundless attempts … to lay the blame for war crimes in Ukraine on Russia.”

It condemned Romania for “whitewashing the atrocities perpetrated by nationalist (Ukrainian) battalions against the civilian population,” as well as for supplying “weapons, equipment and other assistance to the regime in Kyiv.”​​​​​​​