Russia, Ukraine to Expel a Diplomat Each as Tensions Simmer
Voice of America
MOSCOW - Russia accused a Ukrainian diplomat Saturday of trying to obtain classified information and ordered him to leave the country by April 22, prompting a tit-for-tat response from Ukraine as border tensions simmer. Russia's FSB security service said Oleksandr Sosoniuk had been detained when he tried to access information from Russian law enforcement databases during a meeting with a Russian citizen. The foreign ministry gave Sosoniuk 72 hours to leave, and Ukraine then did likewise to a Russian diplomat in Kyiv. Ukraine's foreign ministry said Sosoniuk had been held for several hours before being allowed to return to his consulate in St. Petersburg, and called the detention of Sosoniuk a provocation. "We fully deny the accusations leveled against the consular officer," it said in a statement. Tensions between Moscow and Kyiv have been rising amid a build-up of Russian troops along the border and clashes in eastern Ukraine between the army and Russia-backed separatists. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday pressed for peace talks with Moscow.
FILE - Indian players celebrate after beating Pakistan during T20 World Championship Cricket competition in Johannesburg, South Africa, Sept. 24, 2007. Pakistan's Shadab Khan, second right, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of New Zealand's Michael Bracewell during the fifth T20 international cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand, in Lahore, Pakistan, April 27, 2024.
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