Norway expelled 15 Russian embassy officials from the country for engaging in activities that are “not compatible with their diplomatic status.”
Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anniken Huitfeldt said that the expulsion of the “intelligence officers” is an “important step” in countering Russian intelligence activity in Norway, which has increased as a result of the Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the ministry. Norway is a member of the NATO military alliance and shares a border with Russia in the Arctic.
“We want Russia to continue to have a functioning diplomatic mission in Norway, but we will not accept that diplomatic missions are misused for the purposes of carrying out covert intelligence activities,” Huitfeldt said.
The officers concerned must leave Norway “shortly,” according to a ministry statement published on Thursday. The ministry has monitored the activities of these intelligence officers over time, it said.
European security services have cracked down on alleged Russian spies since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Around 400 Russian intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover — about half the total number active in Europe — have been expelled, according to Western intelligence officials.
Norway itself expelled three Russian intelligence officers in April last year.
