On June 6, Finland, the newest member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), announced that it would expel nine diplomats working at the Russian Embassy in Helsinki on charges of operating in an "intelligence role".
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| Russian Embassy in Helsinki, Finland. (Source: The Moscow Times) |
In a statement, the Finnish government said: "These actions are a violation of the Vienna (Austrian) Convention on Diplomatic Relations."
The Nordic country made the statement after a meeting between President Sauli Niinisto and the Finnish government's foreign and security policy committee.
According to Director General for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Marja Liivala, of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the decision was based on assessments by the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO).
On Twitter, SUPO said that the expulsion of Russian diplomats in Helsinki was a fatal blow to Moscow's intelligence.
Russia has not yet commented on Finland's decision.
Relations between Finland and Russia have deteriorated since the conflict in Ukraine broke out, prompting Finland to break with its decades-long policy of non-alignment and apply to join NATO in May 2022, officially becoming a member of the bloc in April.
Last month, Helsinki said Russia had frozen the bank accounts of the Finnish Embassy in Moscow and the Finnish Consulate in Saint Petersburg in late April.
The Kremlin said Russia's decision to freeze the bank accounts of the Finnish Embassy and Consulate was in response to unfriendly actions by the West, including the Nordic country.
Last May, the Russian Foreign Ministry also announced the expulsion of two Finnish diplomats in Moscow in response to the expulsion of several Russian embassy staff in Helsinki.
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