Russia announced today, Thursday, the expulsion of American diplomats, accused of being in contact with the former employee of the American consulate in the Russian city of Vladivostok, the Russian citizen Robert Shunov, who was arrested at the end of last month on suspicion of transferring information about the conflict in Ukraine to the United States.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, in a statement, called for the two diplomats to leave Russian territory within 7 days "after they became undesirable persons," noting that they "conducted illegal activities and maintained contact with the Russian citizen, Shunov, who is accused of espionage for a foreign state, and was tasked with, in exchange for financial compensation, carrying out missions aimed at harming Russian national security."

It pointed out the summoning of Lyn Tracy, the American ambassador to Moscow, to the ministry, and the announcement of a diplomatic protest to her, by delivering a formal note regarding the incompatibility of the actions of Selin, the first secretary of the embassy, and Bernstein, the second secretary, with the diplomatic status," emphasizing that Russia expects the United States to draw "correct conclusions after the expulsion of two of its diplomats and refrain from taking confrontational steps, and that the illegal activities carried out by the American embassy in Moscow are unacceptable and will be suppressed."

The Russian Federal Security Service had arrested Shunov at the end of August on charges of asking Selin and Bernstein to gather information on the course of the special military operation in Ukraine and the mobilization process in Russia, while the American Foreign Ministry issued a statement at the time condemning this arrest, considering the charges against him "baseless."