The Government has decided to expel 25 diplomats and members of the Russian embassy in Spain. The decision is added to those already taken by Denmark, Germany, France and Italy.
The list does not include Yuri Korchagin, the Russian ambassador, since Spain “wants to give dialogue a chance” hoping that “Putin’s war can end and diplomatic channels return”, as has been expressed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares.
Albares considers that the expelled personnel are “a threat” but has declined to be any more specific.
Asked if espionage is related to the decision, the minister said that both “war crimes” and the need to protect “the security of our country” are issues that have brought him to his conclusion.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the possibility of taking action against the Russian diplomatic corps has been considered in all EU and NATO countries, but the images of the brutal massacre in Bucha (Ukraine) have been denied
The Government not revealed the dates by which the diplomats must leave Spain and will not do so until it has communicated it to the parliamentary groups.
Spain already has the “symmetrical response” from the Kremlin
The Kremlin announced that it will respond to these decisions by expelling the diplomatic staff from several European countries. “Russia is employing a response symmetry”,said the minister who does not rule out the expulsion of Spanish personnel from the Spanish Embassy in Moscow.
The social networks of the Russian Embassy in Spain have not stopped sending messages since the invasion began, denying the story of the events, which both Ukraine and the international press narrate about Putin’s war. The latest “tweets” categorically deny the Bucha killings.
