Russia-Ukraine conflict: These EU allies have expelled around 150 Russian diplomats

Four "senior officials" from Russia's embassy in Dublin have been forced to leave for engaging in actions "not... in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behaviour," according to Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney.

The expulsions, according to the minister, were partly in response to "the terrible actions carried out in in the past days in Ukraine especially in Bucha and the ones reported today from Mariupol," referring to the discovery of mass graves and civilian massacres in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.

Following claims of mass graves and civilian massacres in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, Denmark has also announced that it will remove 15 Russian ambassadors.

"This is another example of brutality, cruelty and war crimes, which apparently have taken place in Bucha," Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said at a press conference.

The Danish foreign ministry stated that it did not intend to sever diplomatic ties with Moscow and that the Russian ambassador and the rest of the embassy staff were not expelled.

According to Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Italy has removed 30 Russian diplomats due to safety concerns.

In a statement, Di Maio remarked, "the measure is in agreement with other European and Atlantic partners and is necessary for reasons linked to our national security and in the context of the current crisis caused by the unjustified aggression against Ukraine on the part of the Russian Federation."

Foreign Minister Ann Linde announced that Sweden will expel three Russian diplomats for spying.

"It is because they are not following the Vienna Convention and they are undertaking illegal intelligence-gathering operations," said Linde.
 

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares announced the expulsion of 25 Russian diplomats and diplomatic staff from Madrid.

"We have decided to expel Russian diplomats and staff from the Russian embassy in Spain who represent a threat to the interests and security of our country," he said after the weekly cabinet meeting.
 

As part of a coordinated European response, France announced the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats.

Agence France-Presse (AFP), citing an anonymous source in the French foreign ministry, reported that the banned diplomats are acting against  French "security interests”.

After Ukraine accused Russian forces of killing residents in the village of Bucha, Lithuania has expelled the Russian ambassador to the Baltic country.

Lithuania also announced that the Russian consulate in Klaipeda will close, and that its representative to Moscow would "return in the near future."

As per the country's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Germany has decided to label a "significant number" of officials in the Russian embassy undesirable. She also said that Berlin would also increase its support for Ukraine's military forces.
 

Bulgaria has dismissed 12 Russian diplomats last month for conduct it said were incompatible with their diplomatic position.

Belgium has expelled 21 diplomats from Russia's embassy in Brussels and consulate in Antwerp. The move was made in coordination with the neighbouring Netherlands, whose foreign ministry had expelled 17 Russian diplomats considered "secretly active" as intelligence officers.

Expulsions of Russian diplomats from a number of Western nations will be met with proportionate retaliation, according to Russian ex-president and deputy head of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev.

"Everyone knows the answer: it will be symmetrical and destructive for bilateral relations," Medvedev said in a posting on his Telegram channel.

"Who have they punished? First of all, themselves."

The expulsions have ratcheted up Western pressure on Russia in the aftermath of its February 24 invasion of Ukraine. Several rounds of sanctions, largely imposed by the EU and the US, have already had a negative impact on Russia's economy.