Estonia expels Russian diplomat over sanctions violations

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Estonia is expelling a Russian diplomat over sanctions violations and other crimes against the state, the Baltic country's foreign ministry said on Wednesday, prompting Moscow to say it would retaliate.

The first secretary of the Russian embassy in Tallinn has been declared 'persona non grata' and must leave Estonia, the ministry said, without naming the diplomat.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexei Fadeev said the expulsion was a hostile act and that Moscow would respond.

Diplomatic relations between Moscow and Estonia, a NATO and European Union member state, have deteriorated sharply following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

"The Russian embassy's ongoing interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Estonia must end," Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a statement.

An Estonian citizen has been convicted of crimes in connection with the case, the ministry said, without elaborating.

It also gave no details on what sanctions had been violated. Western countries have imposed a large array of economic sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

(Reporting by Anna RingstromEditing by Terje Solsvik and Gareth Jones)

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