Russia cuts ties with Consulate General Offices of Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania - TASS

Russia revokes its agreements permitting the work of Consulate General Offices of Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania in Saint Petersburg and of Latvian Consulate’s Office in Pskov, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

"Based on the rules of the reciprocity as well as taking into account these countries’ provided military assistance to the Kiev regime and attempts to cover-up crimes of the Ukrainian nationalists against civilians of Donbass and Ukraine, we announce our decision to revoke agreements on the work of the Latvian Consulate General’s Office in St. Petersburg, the Latvian Consulate’s Office in Pskov, the Estonian Consulate General’s Office in St. Petersburg and its Chancellor’s Office in Pskov, the Lithuanian Consulate’s General’s Office in St. Petersburg," the statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry reads.

The ministry also stated that it summoned earlier in the day Latvian Ambassador to Russia Maris Riekstins, Estonian Ambassador to Russia Margus Laidre, as well as Charge· d’Affaires of Lithuania, Virginija Umbrasene.

"Heads of the diplomatic missions were handed with notes of protest in regard to unfriendly decisions to close Russian Consulate General’s Offices in Klaipeda, Liepaja, Daugavpils, Narva, as well as of the Russian Consulate Office in Estonia (the city of Tartu)," the statement reads.

"The heads and officials of the mentioned above Consulate missions representing Estonia and Lativia have been declared as personae-non-grata, while non-Russian residents serving as administrative and technical support with the diplomatic missions at the issue were pronounced as ‘unacceptable,’" the statement added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also issued a request that all mentioned officials were subject to leave the territory of Russia within the same timeframe, which was previously set for Russian diplomats to leave territories of their respective countries.