Norway has declared 15 employees of the Russian embassy persona non grata, the Kingdom's Foreign Ministry reported . The Norwegian authorities monitored their activities and found out that the diplomats were actually undercover Russian intelligence officers. The relevant officers should leave Norway as soon as possible.
“The 15 intelligence officers were engaged in activities incompatible with their diplomatic status,” Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said. “This is an important step in countering and reducing the level of Russian intelligence activity in Norway and thus in protecting our national interests.”
The report also notes that Norway is not the only country that is taking steps to curb the covert activities of Russian intelligence. Many European countries have recently reduced the number of Russian intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover and tightened the rules for issuing visas to Russians.
“Norway strives to maintain normal diplomatic relations with Russia, Russian diplomats are welcome in Norway. The actions we have taken today are aimed at reducing unwanted intelligence activities. We want Russia to continue to have an active diplomatic mission in Norway, but we do not accept diplomatic missions being misused for covert intelligence activities,” Huitfeldt said.
