Russia expels 2 U.S. diplomats, accusing them of 'illegal activity'

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday declared two U.S. diplomats "persona non grata" and ordered them to leave the country within seven days as they were allegedly involved in "illegal activity."

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday declared two U.S. diplomats "persona non grata" and ordered them to leave the country within seven days as they were allegedly involved in "illegal activity."

The ministry charged in a statement that the first secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Russia, Jeffrey Sillin, and the second secretary, David Bernstein, "kept in touch" with a former employee of the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok who was arrested earlier this year. The ex-employee was accused of collecting information for U.S. diplomats about Russia's military action in Ukraine and related issues.

According to the statement, U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy was summoned to the ministry on Thursday and informed that Sillin and Berstein were being expelled.

"It was also emphasized that illegal activities of the U.S. diplomatic mission, including interference in the internal affairs of the host country, are unacceptable and will be resolutely suppressed. The Russian side expects Washington to draw the right conclusions and refrain from confrontational steps," the statement said.

There was no immediate comment from the embassy or the U.S. State Department.

Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, the main domestic security agency, reported the arrest of Robert Shonov, a former employee of the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok, last month. Shonov was accused of "gathering information about the special military operation, mobilization processes in Russian regions, problems and the assessment of their influence on protest activities of the population in the runup to the 2024 presidential election."

The "special military operation" is Moscow's preferred term to describe the fighting in Ukraine.