Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Questions have been repeatedly raised in this House about the expulsion of the Russian ambassador and the large size of the Russian Embassy staff here, which numbers more than 30. Today, the Polish intelligence services have asked their foreign ministry to consider expelling 45 Russian diplomats, some of whom have allegedly been working for Moscow's secret services under the cover of diplomatic work. Last week, the Baltic nations expelled ten Russian diplomats, declaring them persona non grata. Lithuania expelled four and Latvia and Estonia expelled three each. Bulgaria has expelled ten diplomats and the Slovakian ambassador told the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs this morning that his Government has also expelled staff from the Russian Embassy there. With Russia continuing to commit war crimes and atrocities, the original view was that we had to act in consort. It looks now like we will be at the end of the queue of nations taking action. Is it the Government's intention to take action against the Russian staff in the embassy here?

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