Slovakia expels Russian diplomat over suspected Vienna Convention breach – JURIST

The Slovakian foreign ministry announced on Thursday that it had expelled a Russian diplomat suspected of violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which delineates the rights and responsibilities of diplomats. In a press release, the Slovakian Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote that the diplomat’s actions were “thoroughly documented by the competent authorities of the Slovak Republic.” The foreign ministry also announced that it had summoned the Russian ambassador over the incident. 

The press release did not disclose the specifics of the accusation. However, Russian diplomats in Slovakia have previously faced accusations of spying. Slovakia expelled 35 Russian diplomats for violating the Vienna Convention on March 30th last year. The mass expulsion came two weeks after Slovak authorities arrested three people and expelled three other Russian diplomats over an alleged conspiracy to commit espionage. 

Russian diplomats have been subjected to several expulsions in response to Russia’s actions during its invasion of Ukraine. In April 2022, following the disclosure of the Bucha massacre and the killing of civilians, over 200 Russian diplomats were expelled by various countries, including in Italy, France, and Germany. France and the United States, have expelled a significant number of Russian intelligence officers and diplomats in response to the invasion, which are part of a larger effort to curb Russia’s actions and show solidarity with Ukraine.