Spain to expel around 25 Russian diplomats

Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares

Spain will expel around 25 Russian diplomats and embassy staff over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, following similar moves by Germany and France, Spain's foreign minister said Tuesday.

"The unbearable images we have seen of the massacre of civilians in the town of Bucha after the withdrawal of the Russian army deeply outrage us," Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said in a reference to a town outside Kyiv.

The Russian diplomats and staff "represent a threat to the interest of the country" and they will be expelled "immediately", he told a news conference following a weekly cabinet meeting.

"We are talking about a group of around 25 people, we are completing the list," he said.