Reuters. Russia will expel an unspecified number of Hungarian diplomats in a retaliatory move, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, after Budapest last month expelled 10 Russian diplomats.
"As a reciprocal measure, a group of staff members from the Hungarian Embassy in Moscow and the Hungarian Consulates General in St Petersburg and Kazan must leave the territory of the Russian Federation within two weeks," the ministry said.
The Hungarian Foreign Ministry said in a statement it acknowledged Russia's decision, adding: "Hungary is not interested in an escalation of diplomatic tension."
Hungary had accused the Russian diplomats it expelled of acting in ways incompatible with their status — wording often used as code for spying. The move was a clear signal that the pro-Russian era of former Prime Minister Viktor Orban is over.
