Main photo by Aleksander Krjukov / ERR

Estonia today decided to declare a staff member of the Russian embassy persona non grata. The reason for this decision was Russia's interference in the country's internal affairs.

This was announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna, reported by ERR.

It is noted that today the temporary chargé d'affaires of the Russian Federation in Estonia was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Ministry informed the representative of the Russian embassy that Estonia has no intention of tolerating actions by Russia aimed at undermining the independence and sovereignty of the country.

"Hybrid operations against the security of the Republic of Estonia, coordinated by Russian special services, must cease," added the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Later, the incident was commented on by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Margus Tsahkna.

"The Embassy of Russia grossly interfered in the internal affairs of Estonia, specifically in the judicial process, by seizing documents of a criminal case and facilitating their publication on Russian social media," Tsahkna said.

He also emphasized that coordinated actions by Russian special services against Estonia, including hybrid operations against security, are unacceptable and must be stopped. The minister added that by expelling the diplomat, Estonia demonstrates that the country will not tolerate any actions organized by a foreign state on its territory.