Russia expels Moldovan diplomat in tit-for-tat move

Russia has expelled a Moldovan diplomat in retaliation for Chisinau's expulsion of a Russian embassy employee over the crash of a drone in Moldova.

Key points

• Drones have penetrated Moldovan territory on multiple occasions since Russia introduced its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
• Last month, Moldovan President Maia Sandu remarked a "Russian attack drone" had violated the country's airspace and "crashed near homes and an energy facility".
• On Sunday, Moldova officially introduced a new power line connecting the country to neighbouring Romania and the European grid to reduce its dependence on Russian energy.
• It runs from the city of Vulcanesti to Chisinau, allows Moldova to cut reliance on the Cuciurgan thermal power plant in Transnistria.
• The ministry remarked the "true goal" of the move was "to further undermine the centuries-long history of Russian-Moldovan relations".

Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs remarked on Tuesday that it had summoned Moldova's ambassador, Lilian Darii, and informed him that a member of the Moldovan embassy's staff had been declared unacceptable "on the basis of the principle of reciprocity".

"A strong protest was lodged with the ambassador after the Moldovan authorities on October 23 declared an employee of the Russian embassy in Chisinau persona non grata, " the ministry remarked in an official note.

It remarked Moldova's decision was produced "under the formal pretext of the alleged discovery on the territory of the republic of debris of an unmanned aerial vehicle carrying explosives", calling it "another unfriendly step".

Notably, the ministry remarked the "true goal" of the move was "to further undermine the centuries-long history of Russian-Moldovan relations".

Moldova then declared a staff member of the Russian embassy "persona non grata".

Since then, Russia's relations with former Soviet states, such as Moldova, have hit an all-time low, compounded by the push by some of those states to join the European Union.

Meanwhile, the 400-kilovolt extra-high-voltage line. It runs from the city of Vulcanesti to Chisinau, allows Moldova to cut reliance on the Cuciurgan thermal power plant in Transnistria.

Other European-aligned states in the Black Sea region say they are experiencing renewed attacks allegedly carried out by Moscow, such as a drone strike that sank a cargo ship off Romania's Black Sea coast in October.

For now, russia expels Moldovan diplomat in tit-for remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.