During the visit to Moscow of the High Representative of the European Union, Josep Borrell, the Russian Foreign Ministry, with whose head, Sergey Lavrov, met, announced the expulsion of three European diplomats, one German, one Polish, and a third from Sweden. The reason for the measure, as explained by the Russian Foreign Ministry, was to have participated in “illegal” protest demonstrations demanding the release of the opposition leader, Alexei Navalny.
Previously, the Russian Foreign Ministry had summoned diplomatic officials from the three embassies to lodge complaints with them for the attendance at the protest actions of employees of the Swedish and Polish consulates general in Saint Petersburg and the German embassy in Moscow. The three countries concerned have regretted Moscow’s decision and warned of the possibility of responding with expulsions as well. In the opinion of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, there is no justification for acting in such away. In his words, Russia “is moving away from the rule of law.” Berlin asks Russia to reconsider its position and so has Borrell, who has expressed his “strong condemnation” of the measure.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also joined the demonstrations of rejection.
I condemn everything that happened about Navalny, from his poisoning to his imprisonment, and the expulsion of European diplomats. I want to express my solidarity with the three European countries whose diplomats were urged to leave Russia.
All this was happening while a new trial against Navalny began. this time for “defamation.” The anti-corruption activist and sworn enemy of President Vladimir Putin appeared yesterday before the Babushkinski district court in Moscow. It turns out that he was denounced by the relatives of a 94-year-old World War II veteran, Ignat Artémenko, whom, according to them, Navalny offended with statements
