CAUGHT

Netherlands Gives Russian Diplomats the Boot After Accusations of Spying

The Netherlands made a similar move a year ago, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russia has once again been caught spying, this time on the country that hosts the headquarters of the International Court of Justice and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The Netherlands expelled “a number” of Russian diplomats on Saturday, citing accusations that Russia is attempting to use their diplomatic channels for espionage. “Despite numerous attempts by the Netherlands to find a solution, Russia continues to try to get intelligence officers into the Netherlands under diplomatic cover,” said the Dutch minister of foreign affairs, Wopke Hoekstra. The Netherlands has given the Russian envoys two weeks to leave the country, moving at the same time to shutter a Russian trade office in Amsterdam and its consulate in St. Petersburg. Russia’s foreign ministry has vowed to respond, but has not yet provided details. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated significantly in the year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the Netherlands expelling 17 Russian diplomats last March in its immediate aftermath.