Moscow (AP) – Russia says on Friday it is expelling diplomats from Sweden, Poland and Germany, accusing it of attending a rally in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny as international tensions rise over the Kremlin’s most prominent enemy prison .
The announcement came when the head of foreign affairs of the European Union, Josep Borrell, told the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, that Navalny’s treatment represents “a low point” in the relations between Brussels and Moscow.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused Swedish and Polish diplomats in St. Petersburg and a German diplomat in Moscow of taking part in the “illegal” rallies on January 23. 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 “shortly”, a ministry statement said.
European officials have strongly denounced the move.
Germany said its diplomat was fulfilling his duty by following developments and warned Moscow that his action would not go unanswered, convening the Russian ambassador.
“We consider this expulsion unjustified and believe that it is another facet of things that can be seen in Russia at the moment and that are quite far from the rule of law,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Berlin after a video conference with the French president. Emmanuel Macron. . Macron expressed solidarity with Germany, Poland and Sweden and condemned “in stronger terms” the expulsions and what happened to Navalny “from beginning to end”.
Sweden said it “considers this completely unjustified, which I also conveyed to the Russian side,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mats Samuelsson said in a statement to The Associated Press. Stockholm “strongly rejects Russian claims that the diplomat took part in a demonstration in Russia” and “reserves the right to take appropriate action in response,” he said.
Poland also warned Moscow that this action would further aggravate relations.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the expulsion, tweeting: “This arbitrary and unjustified act is Russia’s last removal from its international obligations.” British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab also said on Twitter that the expulsion of diplomats “just to do their job is a gross attempt to divert attention from Russia’s targeting of opposition leaders, protesters and journalists.”
Speaking at the beginning of his talks with Lavrov, Borrell said that “our relations are subject to severe tension, and the Navalny case is a low point in our relations.”
Borell later said he conveyed his concerns about Navalny’s prison 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 an investigation into the August poisoning, but added that there were no proposals for additional sanctions against Russia from the EU at this time.
Merkel said that “we reserve the right to continue the sanctions”, but noted that the Navalny situation should not affect the Nord Stream 2 pipeline under construction to deliver more Russian natural gas to Germany.
Lavrov again accused European officials of refusing to share evidence of poisoning. The Kremlin has said it will not listen to Western criticism of Navalny’s conviction and police actions against his supporters.
Navalny, 44, an anti-corruption investigator and the 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 breakdown. blame the Kremlin. The Russian authorities rejected the accusation.
On Tuesday, a Moscow court ruled that while in Germany, Navalny violated the probation conditions of his suspended sentence from a 2014 money laundering conviction and ordered him to serve two years and eight months in prison. prison. The decision sparked international outrage.
In the mass protests in Russia’s 11 time zones for two weekends in a row, many people chanted slogans against Putin in the largest show of discontent in recent years. Thousands were detained. Several of Navalny’s close allies face criminal charges and are under house arrest, and many of his associates have received short prison terms.
Navalny’s top strategist Leonid Volkov said on Thursday that trying to hold rallies every weekend would only lead to more arrests and exhaust participants and said protests should be suspended until spring after they peak. .
Instead, he urged supporters to focus on challenging Kremlin-backed candidates in the September parliamentary elections and securing new Western sanctions against Russia to push for Navalny’s release. He said Navalny’s team would try to ensure that “every world leader will discuss nothing but the release of Navalny with Putin.”
On Friday, however, another of Navalny’s allies, Vladimir Milov, expressed disappointment with Borrell’s visit to Moscow. He called it “a disastrously poor visit” and said Lavrov “used it as a setting to keep Europe under international law”.
“Maybe he’ll bring back some Sputink V vaccines as a reward,” Milov wrote on Twitter, referring to Borrell’s praise. of the coronavirus vaccine developed domestically in Russia.
Meanwhile, Navalny returned to court on Friday for 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 has been opened after Navalny slammed people featured in a video promoting constitutional changes last year that allowed for an extension of Putin’s rule. Navalny called the people in the video “corrupt nonsense,” “unconscious,” and “traitors.”
Russian authorities have claimed that Navalny’s comments “denigrate (honor) and dignity” of Ignat Artemenko, the veteran featured in the video.
If convicted, Navalny faces a fine or community service. He rejected the accusation and refused to file a complaint on Friday, calling the process a “public relations process” that seeks to despise him.
“The Kremlin needs headlines (saying that) Navalny slandered a veteran,” he said.
Artemenko, 94, attended the meeting by teleconference, saying he was concerned about Navalny’s comments and apologizing publicly.
Navalny accused Artemenko’s family of exploiting the fragile man for his own gain, claiming that the case was invented and falsified evidence.
“The judge should burn in hell and you sell your grandfather,” Navalny said, while Artemenko’s nephew testified.
The hearing was finally 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.