The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry declared the Russian consul in Odessa an undesirable person to stay in the country, he must leave it by April 30. This was reported on Tuesday, April 27, on the agency’s website.
They noted that they were expressing a strong protest in connection with the announcement on April 26 by the Russian Foreign Ministry of an employee of the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow persona non grata.
At the same time, such a step in Kiev is considered as “another manifestation of unfriendly actions against employees of diplomatic institutions of Ukraine.”
“In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine declares the Consul of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Odessa an undesirable person to stay on the territory of Ukraine. He must leave the territory of Ukraine by the end of the day on April 30, 2021, “the message says.
In addition, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry completely rejects statements that the Ukrainian diplomat declared persona non grata was engaged in activities incompatible with diplomatic status. The department noted that he “did not commit any actions that would go beyond his diplomatic and consular functions.”
On the eve of Russia announced persona non grata an employee of the Ukrainian Embassy in the Russian Federation. The specified employee must leave the territory of the country by the end of the day on April 30. The measures were taken as a mirror response to the expulsion of an employee of the Russian Embassy in Kiev and on the basis of the principle of reciprocity for activities incompatible with diplomatic status, the department emphasized.
So, on April 21, the senior diplomat of the Russian Embassy in Kiev, Yevgeny Chernikov, was expelled from Kiev. Kiev called this decision a retaliatory measure for the expulsion of the Ukrainian consul Alexander Sosonyuk from Russia.
Moscow expressed a strong protest against the expulsion of the Russian diplomat. The Russian Foreign Ministry called Kiev’s approach absolutely unacceptable, since the Ukrainian diplomat was recommended to leave the country after he was detained in the act while trying to acquire closed databases of Russian law enforcement agencies.