Conflicts: Russia expels more Swedish diplomats

According to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow, Russia is expelling five Swedish diplomats. In addition, the Swedish consulate general in St. Petersburg will have to cease operations from September 1, the ministry said.

Ambassador Malena Mård was informed about the expulsion. The measures are the answer to the expulsion of five Russian diplomats in Sweden at the end of April, it said.

Moscow assessed the expulsion of its diplomats as an “openly hostile step on the part of Stockholm” that further strained the already bad bilateral relations. There is an “anti-Russian campaign” in Sweden, it said.

Germany and Denmark are also being questioned

The Swedish government regretted the Russian move. The diplomats were engaged in normal diplomatic activities in Russia. The Consulate General in St. Petersburg has been a driving force in human cooperation between Russia and Sweden, explained Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom. The decision is therefore further confirmation of the negative political developments in Russia and the international isolation of the country.

In addition to Mård, the German Ambassador Géza Andreas von Geyr and his Danish colleague Jakob Henningsen were also appointed to the Foreign Ministry. Moscow complained to the diplomats about the allegedly delayed investigations into the blasting of the Baltic Sea pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 last year.

With the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, relations between Russia and Western countries have deteriorated drastically. Both sides have since expelled diplomats on a large scale.