Russia has announced that it will expel Bucharest’s military attaché and his deputy in response to Romania’s decision to expel two Russian diplomats back in March.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that the defense attaché and his assistant, serving at Romania’s diplomatic mission in Moscow, have been declared “persona non grata,” and this decision has been communicated to Romania’s chargé d’affaires.

According to the Ministry’s statement, “This step is a response to Romania’s previous expulsion of the military attaché and his deputy, without any justifications, from the Russian Embassy in Bucharest.” ROMANIA DEBATES “RUSSIAN INVOLVEMENT”

Romania’s expulsion of Russian diplomats was taken following allegations that Russia was “interfering in domestic politics” in Romania.

After NATO and EU-skeptic candidate Calin Georgescu emerged victorious in the first round of the presidential elections in Romania, his victory was annulled, and he was disqualified from running for the presidency. The Romanian authorities suspect that Georgescu was backed by Russia. In recent years, Russia and Western countries have continued to expel each other’s diplomats mainly due to espionage allegations.