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Foreign Intel chief likens Russian diplomats’ expulsion to ‘supporting global terror’

A total of 152 Russian diplomats were expelled by some countries

MOSCOW, April 11. /TASS/. Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin has met with three employees of the Foreign Intelligence Service out of the 152 Russian diplomats who had been expelled by some countries, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service press bureau Sergei Ivanov said.

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“The director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service stressed in a conversation with his colleagues who just arrived from abroad that such actions by leaders of some countries inhibit the exchange of information on matters of ensuring security for Russian foreign missions and Russian citizens, in addition to placing additional obstacles to the counter-terrorism aspect of intelligence agencies’ joint efforts. He also classified such actions by some countries as direct support for international terrorism,” Ivanov noted.

He specified that among the 152 diplomatic employees who were forced to abandon their posts at Russian foreign missions following the UK’s provocative acts, were three employees of the Foreign Intelligence Directorate. Naryshkin held talks with them on Wednesday. According to Naryshkin, “our colleagues were officially presented to the hosting countries’ authorities for joint work on a partner channel back then based on a long-established practice.”

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