Russia will expel five Polish diplomats as retaliation for Warsaw's earlier decision to send three Russian diplomats home, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The Polish Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it had decided to expel three members of Russia's diplomatic staff in the country because the individuals had carried out activities undermining Poland.
"The basis for this decision was the violation of diplomatic status and carrying out activities to the detriment of the Republic of Poland by the indicated persons" - Poland's MFA wrote in a statement.
It did not provide further detail on the alleged offences.
In the statement, the ministry also said "Poland expresses its full solidarity with the decisions taken by the United States on April 15, 2021 regarding its policy towards Russia. The decisions jointly made and agreed upon allies constitute the most appropriate response to the hostile actions by the Russian Federation".
On Friday, Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov informed about his country's response to Poland's move.
"Poland announced the expulsion of our diplomats. Obviously, we will respond accordingly. Five Polish diplomats will be expelled from Moscow" - he said at a press conference.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP, Reuters