NATO is responding to Russia's “malicious actions”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday that the alliance should take action against Russia’s growing “malicious actions” after expelling members of the Moscow delegation for alleged espionage.

“The decision to revoke the accreditation of eight members of the Russian delegation to NATO was taken on the basis of intelligence, as these are undeclared Russian intelligence,” Stoltenberg was quoted as saying by BGNES.

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“We are seeing an increase in Russian malicious activity, at least in Europe, and that is why we need to act.”

The head of NATO said that the decision to expel the Russian representatives was not “related to any specific event” – but did not give more details about this move.

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On Wednesday, NATO announced that it was decided to deprive “undeclared Russian spies” of official accreditation in the alliance and to halve the number of the Russian delegation to 10.

Stoltenberg reiterated that “relations between NATO and Russia are at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War. And that’s because of Russia’s behavior. “

Relations between the West and Moscow have deteriorated in recent years after the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 and because of its involvement – according to the West – in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

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Russia has long had a NATO observer mission as part of the two-decade-old NATO-Russia Council, designed to promote common security cooperation, but it is not a member of the US-led Alliance.

The Russian mission it had already been cut once on, when seven of its members were expelled after the 2018 poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain. Applications for accreditation of three other Russian diplomats were rejected.

NATO-Russia Council meetings have not been held since 2019 amid heightened tensions.

“We are ready to engage in a constructive dialogue with Russia and we are also ready to convene a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council,” Stoltenberg said.

“In fact, we have invited Russia for a long time. So far, Russia has not responded positively.”

Sky News reported that NATO’s decision has been reached , after information was revealed in April about explosions in a Czech ammunition depot in 2014, in which, according to Prague, two Russian spies were involved – identified as allegedly involved in the poisoning of Skripal.

This incident between the Czech Republic and Russia led to the mutual expulsion of dozens of EU and Russian diplomats and other embassy staff.