MOSCOW (AP) – Russia said on Friday it was expelling diplomats from Sweden, Poland and Germany, accusing them of participating in a rally in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, while international tensions increased with the enemy’s arrest most important part of the Kremlin.
The announcement came at a time when European Union head of foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the treatment of Navalny represents “a low point” in relations between Brussels and Moscow .
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Swedish and Polish diplomats in St. Petersburg and a German diplomat in Moscow of participating in what it called “illegal” rallies on 23 January. Tens of thousands of people across Russia took to the streets that day to protest Navalny’s arrest.
Diplomats were declared “persona non grata” and were forced to leave Russia “soon”, a ministry statement said.
European authorities strongly denounced the measure.
Germany said its diplomat was doing his duty in following the events and warned Moscow that his action would not be left unanswered, summoning the Russian ambassador.
“We consider this expulsion to be unjustified and think that it is another facet of things that can be seen in Russia at the moment that are very far from the rule of law,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin after a video conference with French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron expressed solidarity with Germany, Poland and Sweden and condemned “in the strongest terms” the expulsions and what happened to Navalny “from start to finish”.
Sweden said it “considers this totally unjustified, which we also convey to the Russian side,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mats Samuelsson said in a statement to the Associated Press. Stockholm “vehemently rejects Russian claims that the diplomat participated in a demonstration in Russia” and “reserves the right to take appropriate measures in response,” he said.
Poland also warned Moscow that the move will further worsen relations.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the expulsion, tweeting, “This arbitrary and unjustified act is Russia’s last departure from its international obligations.” British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab also said on Twitter that expelling diplomats “simply for doing his job is a crude attempt to divert attention from the Russian target of opposition leaders, protesters and journalists”
Speaking at the beginning of his talks with Lavrov, Borrell said that “our relations are under severe tension and the Navalny affair is a low point in our relations”.
Borell later said that he had voiced his concerns about Navalny’s arrest and the arrests of thousands of people who had gathered on his behalf. The EU official said he also communicated the bloc’s support for Navalny’s release and for an August poisoning investigation, but added that there were no proposals for additional sanctions against EU Russia at this time.
Merkel said that “we reserve the right to continue with the sanctions”, but noted that the Navalny situation should not affect the Nord Stream 2 pipeline under construction to supply more Russian natural gas to Germany.
Lavrov again accused European authorities of refusing to share the evidence of the poisoning. The Kremlin said it would not listen to Western criticism of Navalny’s condemnation and police action against his supporters.
Navalny, 44, an anti-corruption investigator and most prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was arrested on January 17 on his return from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nervous agent poisoning he attributes to the Kremlin. Russian authorities rejected the charge.
On Tuesday, a Moscow court ruled that while in Germany, Navalny violated the parole terms of his suspended sentence for a 2014 money laundering conviction and ordered him to serve two years and eight months in prison. The decision generated international outrage.
In mass protests across Russia’s 11 time zones for two consecutive weekends, many people shouted slogans against Putin in the biggest display of discontent in years. Thousands were detained. Several of Navalny’s close allies face criminal charges and are under house arrest, and many of his associates have been sentenced to short prison terms.
Leading Navalny strategist Leonid Volkov argued on Thursday that trying to hold rallies every weekend would only lead to many more arrests and wear out participants, and said the protests should stop until spring, after reaching the peak .
Instead, he urged his supporters to focus on challenging the Kremlin-backed candidates in September’s parliamentary elections and securing new Western sanctions against Russia to press for Navalny’s release. He said Navalny’s team would try to ensure that “all world leaders do not discuss anything but Navalny’s release with Putin”.
On Friday, however, another Navalny ally, Vladimir Milov, expressed disappointment at Borrell’s visit to Moscow. He called it a “disastrously weak visit” and said Lavrov “used it as a decoration to give a talk on ‘international law’ in Europe.”
“Maybe he’ll bring some Sputink V vaccines as a reward,” tweeted Milov, referring to Borrell’s praise of the coronavirus vaccine developed internally in Russia.
Navalny, meanwhile, returned to court on Friday for yet another trial – this time on charges of defaming a World War II veteran featured in a pro-Kremlin video that Navalny denounced on social media last year.
A criminal investigation was opened after Navalny attacked people who appeared in a video promoting constitutional amendments last year that allowed an extension of Putin’s government. Navalny called the people in the video “corrupt puppets”, “people without conscience” and “traitors”.
Russian officials said Navalny’s comments “denigrate (a) honor and dignity” from Ignat Artemenko, the veteran featured in the video.
If convicted, Navalny faces a fine or community service. He denied the charge and refused to file an argument on Friday, calling the trial a “public relations case” with the aim of disparaging it.
“The Kremlin needs headlines (saying that) Navalny slandered a veteran,” he said.
Artemenko, 94, attended the hearing by teleconference, saying he was distressed by Navalny’s comments and demanding a public apology.
Navalny accused Artemenko’s family of exploiting the fragile man for their own benefit, claiming that the case was invented and the evidence falsified.
“The judge should burn in hell and you are selling your grandfather,” said Navalny, as Artemenko’s grandson testified.
The hearing ended up being postponed until February 12.
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Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Matthew Lee in Washington and Jill Lawless in London contributed.