RUSSIA has kicked out two American diplomats, accusing them of collaborating with a spy.
The diplomats, Jeffrey Sillin and David Bernstein, allegedly had contact with a Russian who worked for a US mission and was seen as an ‘informant’.
Russia gave the US seven days to send them home.
The Russian citizen, Robert Shonov, worked for the US consulate general in Vladivostok for more than 25 years until 2021 when Moscow ordered the consulate staff’s dismissal.
In a video confession, Shonov admitted that Sillin and Bernstein asked him to gather information about Russia’s actions in Ukraine, the annexation of new areas, military preparations, and the 2024 presidential election.
U.S. State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller claimed that Russia’s action was wholly without merit and that Washington would respond accordingly.
He also mentioned Russia’s ongoing harassment of embassy staff and its own citizens.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministry of Russia stated that, quote, unlawful activity by the US diplomatic mission, including interference in the domestic affairs of the host state, is unacceptable and will be stopped with determination.
“[The] unlawful activity by the US diplomatic mission, including interference in the domestic affairs of the host state, is unacceptable and will be stopped with determination,” according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Both countries have been doing this to their diplomatic representatives for years; it began when former U.S. President Barack Obama started shutting down consulates after accusing Russia of interfering in the 2016 presidential elections. Russia then retaliated in July 2017.