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Russia’s declared persona non grata diplomat must leave Moldova before March 27

Earlier, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry issued a protest and announced the expulsion of an employee of the Russian Embassy over the voting organized in the Russian presidential election in unrecognized Transnistria

CHISINAU, March 21. /TASS/. A Russian diplomat, who had been earlier declared a persona non grata, must leave Moldova before March 27, the press office of the Russian Embassy in Moldova told TASS in a statement on Thursday.

"The employee at the issue has been ordered to leave the country before midnight March 26," the statement reads.

Mihai Mitu, the secretary general of the Moldovan Foreign Ministry, stated on March 20 that Chisinau expected the Russian diplomat to leave the country within the 72-hour period.

Earlier, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry issued a protest and announced the expulsion of an employee of the Russian Embassy over the voting organized in the Russian presidential election in unrecognized Transnistria. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Chisinau's unfriendly actions, including the expulsion of the Russian diplomat, would not go unanswered.

This year, the pro-European government in Moldova banned voting from taking place anywhere outside the Russian Embassy, so only one polling station was opened in Chisinau. However, six more were opened in Transnistria, where more than 250,000 Russian citizens live. Meanwhile, 30 polling stations functioned in Moldova and Transnistria in the 2021 elections.

Russian Ambassador Oleg Vasnetsov said that the Embassy, the Central Election Commission and the Foreign Ministry had received a host of appeals from fellow citizens with a request to ensure their right to vote in the Russian presidential election.

He noted that the task of any diplomatic mission is to help protect the legitimate rights and interests of its citizens.

Last August, Moldova expelled 45 employees of the Russian Embassy from the country in order to reduce its staff to match the number of employees at its mission in Moscow - 10 diplomatic staff and 15 people responsible for administrative and technical functions.

The expulsion of diplomats was preceded by a number of publications in the media and on social networks, where Russian diplomats were accused of espionage.