Estonia Expels Russian Charge D'affaires

On Tuesday, Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Margus Tsahkna declared a member of the Russian embassy staff persona non grata.

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The Estonian ministry said that it had summoned the Russian charge d'affaires to formally hand in a diplomatic note on the expulsion.

"By expelling the diplomat, we show that Estonia does not allow any activity organized by a foreign country on its territory. The Russian Embassy has illegally interfered in Estonia's internal affairs, more precisely in the judicial process, when it acquired the documents of a criminal case and contributed to their publication on Russian social media," Tsahkna said.

In response, the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry said that Moscow would reply appropriately to Estonia's move.

Estonia and Russia have seen their relations deteriorate after the Ukrainian conflict broke out. They have lowered their diplomatic relations to the level of charge d'affaires in 2023.

Since then, relations between both nations have shown no signs of improvement. In the past week, the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry included several Estonian politicians on its list of Baltic people "most hostile" to their nation.

Among other politicians, such a list includes Estonian Prime Minister Evika Silina, Foreign Minister Tsahkna, and former President Kersti Kaljulaid.

Russia has also banned entry for 347 citizens of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, "including government ministers, members of parliaments, and public figures," the Moscow Times reported.