Poland said on Wednesday that it had expelled 45 Russian diplomats for spying, a charge that Russia’s envoy to Poland quickly denied as unfounded.
The statement was made on Twitter by Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski.
He added, “Poland has ejected 45 Russian operatives posing as diplomats.” “In our nation, we are eliminating the Russian special services network.”
The expulsions were confirmed by Russian Ambassador to Poland Sergey Andreyev, who told reporters that the persons affected had been given five days to leave Poland.
“These types of claims have no basis,” he added, adding that Russia has the right to respond with punitive actions.
“The embassies stay, the ambassadors remain,” he remarked, referring to bilateral diplomatic connections.
The move came as “Russia has been waging a brutal war against Ukraine for more than three weeks,” according to a spokesman for the Polish foreign ministry.
“And Russia regards us and other Western countries as its main opponent,” Lukasz Jasina remarked.
