Eight Ministers of Foreign Affairs called on the EU to ban Russian diplomats from moving freely within the bloc. It is proposed to limit their stay to the countries where they are accredited, according to Reuters.
"Free movement of holders of Russian diplomatic and service passports, accredited in one host state, across the whole Schengen area is easing malign activities," says a letter to EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, dated June 11, seen by the agency.
The ministers said that intelligence, propaganda "or even preparation of sabotage acts are the main workload for a large number of Russian 'diplomats' in the EU", and while expulsion was important, the threat remained.
"We believe the EU should strictly follow the reciprocity principle and restrict the movement of members of Russian diplomatic missions and their family members to territory of a state of their accreditation only," the ministers said.
The letter was signed by the ministers of the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, and Romania.
Scandals involving Russian diplomats in the EU
It has long been known that the Kremlin uses its diplomats as agents to spread propaganda and destabilize situations in various countries, particularly within the EU.
One notable incident occurred in Moldova. Reports indicated that the number of satellite dishes and transmission devices on the roof of the Russian embassy in Chișinău has been increasing every year. Russian special services use these devices for surveillance.
In late March, Estonia decided to declare an employee of the Russian embassy persona non grata due to Russia's interference in the country's internal affairs.