War in Ukraine: in retaliation against Paris, Russia announces the expulsion of 34 French diplomats

Moscow announced that it had expelled 34 French diplomats on Wednesday May 18, in retaliation for the expulsion of Russian diplomats by France last month. Russia announced on Wednesday the expulsion of 34 French diplomats in response to a similar measure taken by France last month. The Quai d’Orsay “strongly condemned” a decision which “is not based on any legitimate basis”. The work of the expelled French diplomats and staff fell fully within the framework of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic and Consular Relations, unlike the “Russian agents” sent back by Paris, who acted under diplomatic status and worked against the security interests of France, said the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during her press briefing. Retaliatory measure On April 4, a few weeks after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Paris had expelled 35 Russian nationals enjoying diplomatic status as part of a broader action at European level, resulting in the expulsion of more than 300 Russian diplomats in total. The French Foreign Ministry also announced a week later the dismissal of six Russian agents accused of activities contrary to national security.