Several European countries are expelling Russian diplomats

Several countries at once decided to expel Russian diplomats from their territory, among them three Baltic countries. Thus, Estonia decided to expel three employees of the Russian embassy, ​​the country’s Foreign Ministry said.

“The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador to Estonia and handed over a diplomatic note stating that three employees of the Russian embassy with diplomatic status have been declared persona non grata,” the statement said.

In addition, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry declared four employees of the Russian embassy persona non grata, the ministry said.

The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador to Lithuania Aleksey Isakov and handed him a diplomatic note stating that four employees of the Russian embassy had been declared persona non grata.

The specified employees of the Russian diplomatic mission must leave the territory of Lithuania within five days.

Latvia has taken the same steps. The country’s Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics approved the decision to expel three Russian diplomats. It is noted that the decision was made in connection with their “activities incompatible with the status of diplomats”

In addition, on March 18, Bulgaria declared ten Russian diplomats persona non grata.

Russia’s war in Ukraine on March 18

• Explosions were heard in a number of Ukrainian cities this morning.
• President Volodymyr Zelensky has recorded another video message to the Ukrainians. According to him, the Russian Federation is trying to attract mercenaries from other countries to the war. The Armed Forces of Ukraine captured the new Russian occupiers. Many of them refuse to return to the Russian Federation, and some are generally considered already dead there.
• Russian occupiers suffer losses in the war against Ukraine. They are destroyed both in the air and on the ground. The fighters conducted several air battles, hit two air targets, previously – a fighter and an enemy attack aircraft.
• The Armed Forces of Ukraine liquidated the Russian occupier, who in 2014 led the shelling of a column of Ukrainian soldiers near Ilovaisk. We are talking about Sergei Sukharev.
• Chairman of the Sumy Regional State Administration Dmitry Zhyvitsky announced the preliminary coordination of humanitarian corridors in the territory of the Sumy region, and also announced the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region with the support of the UN.