Employees of the Russian Embassy were given 72 hours to gather.

On March 14, the Slovak Foreign Ministry announced that it was sending three Russian diplomats. They must leave the country within 72 hours.

According to the Slovak newspaper Pravda, Russian embassy staff were suspected of espionage.

According to the Slovak Foreign Ministry, the decision to expel three Russian embassy staffers was made on the basis of an assessment by the Slovak secret services for activities that "violate the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations." Such diplomatic wording usually means suspicion of espionage or other anti-government activities.

Police Chief Stefan Hamran and Special Prosecutor Daniel Lipsic promised on Tuesday (March 15th) to talk more about "detected criminal activity in the field of espionage and corruption related to the Russian Federation."

According to their own sources, Slovak journalists report the detention of several Slovak citizens in the case, including a colonel in the Slovak Ministry of Defense who was tried to bribe Russian diplomats.

It is believed that "Putin's spies" were interested in information about the supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine,

"If [the Russians] find out how and where the weapons will be transported, they will be able to attack the vehicles," the newspaper quoted Andor Sándor, a former Czech military intelligence chief, as saying.