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The government of Moldova has announced the expulsion of 45 Russian diplomats following "unfriendly behavior" and "attempts to destabilize" the country.
In addition to the 45 diplomats, staff and personnel will also be expected to leave the country by the middle of August.
"Forty-five diplomats and technical staff will have to leave before August 15th," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Igor Zaharov.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Moldova. (Giovanni Mereghetti/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Moldovan officials accused the Russian diplomatic corps of attempting to "destabilize" the country's international relations.
"This decision comes as a result of numerous unfriendly actions towards the Republic of Moldova [...] as well as attempts to destabilise the internal situation in our country," the Moldova Foreign Ministry announced.
Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu delivers a speech during the inauguration ceremony of the new European Union Partnership Mission in Moldova in Chisinau. (DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP via Getty Images)
The diplomatic corps will reportedly be pared down to 10 diplomatics with 15 administrative and support personnel.
Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu said that following the expulsion announcement that "there will be fewer individuals who are trying to destabilize the situation in our country."
Russian interference in Moldova has been a recurring concern for both national leaders and foreign governments.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced last month that the United States designated seven members of a Russian intelligence-linked group over alleged "destabilization operations" in Moldova.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies to the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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"The Kremlin continues covert efforts to destabilize democratic countries via malign influence operations. Today, we are designating seven members of a Russian intelligence-linked group, and one entity, for their role in destabilization operations in Moldova," Blinken wrote.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Konstantin Prokopyevich Sapozhnikov, Yury Yuryevich Makolov, Gleb Maksimovich Khloponin, Svetlana Andreyevna Boyko, Aleksey Vyacheslavovich Losev, Vasily Viktorovich Gromovikov and Anna Travnikova – all members of a "Russia-connected malign influence group that is attempting to destabilize the government of Moldova."
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