Russia orders Hungarian mission staff to leave within two weeks

Russia’s foreign ministry has ordered a group of staff from Hungary’s embassy in Moscow and its consulates-general in St Petersburg and Kazan to leave the country within two weeks. It called the order a reciprocal response to Hungary’s earlier demand that Russian mission staff leave. Moscow did not say how many Hungarian staff are affected. [2] [3]

On 8 September, Hungarian foreign minister Anita Orbán said Hungary had told 10 members of the Russian mission to leave. She said Hungarian authorities had assessed that they had engaged in activities unacceptable for diplomats under the Vienna Convention. Russia called Hungary’s demand unfounded and unfriendly. [4] [2]

Hungary’s foreign ministry said it had taken note of Russia’s decision and stood by its earlier measure on national security grounds. It said it did not want diplomatic tensions to escalate. [5]