Russia turfs 2 Estonian diplomats in tit-for-tat move

MOSCOW – Russia has announced it will expel two Estonian diplomats in response to the Baltic country’s expulsion of two Russian officials last week.

The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said Estonia’s consul-general in St. Petersburg, Janus Kirikmae, and Kantin Kanarik, a consular official in Pskov, had been declared persona non grata.

Estonia last week said that Russian Consul General Dmitry Kazennov and consul Andrey Surgaev, both based in Narva, would be expelled. It did not state a reason for the move.

A Russian Foreign Ministry said the action against the Estonian diplomats was “in connection with the unfriendly actions of the Estonian authorities.”