MOSCOW (AP) – Russia has ordered a Ukrainian diplomat to leave the country after allegedly receiving classified information from a database of the country’s top security agency, and Ukraine responded by expelling a Russian diplomat.
Alexander Sosonyuk, the Ukrainian consul in St. Petersburg, was arrested on Friday while meeting with a Russian in which he obtained material from a database of the Federal Security Service, according to the agency.
On Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry informed business manager Vasily Pokotilo that Sosonyuk should leave the country before Thursday. No details were made public about the content of the classified material.
Later, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it ordered the departure of a senior diplomat, but did not identify the person.
The expulsions come amid escalating tensions over Russia’s military buildup along the border with the eastern region of Ukraine which is under the control of Russian-backed rebels.
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This story has been corrected to show that the expulsion of the Ukrainian consul was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.