Russia Says it Is Expelling Eight Greek Diplomats

A Ukrainian deminer examines a crater caused by missile strikes which struck the yard of a school in a residential area of Kharkiv on June 27,2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
A Ukrainian deminer examines a crater caused by missile strikes which struck the yard of a school in a residential area of Kharkiv on June 27,2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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Russia Says it Is Expelling Eight Greek Diplomats

A Ukrainian deminer examines a crater caused by missile strikes which struck the yard of a school in a residential area of Kharkiv on June 27,2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
A Ukrainian deminer examines a crater caused by missile strikes which struck the yard of a school in a residential area of Kharkiv on June 27,2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

Russia declared eight Greek diplomats unwelcome and gave them eight days to leave the country, the Russian foreign ministry said on Monday.

Greece in April asked 12 Russian diplomats to leave the country as a reaction to the war in Ukraine and send defense supplies to Kyiv.

The Russian foreign ministry said it had summoned the Greek ambassador to protest over what it called "the confrontational course of the Greek authorities towards Russia, including the supply of weapons and military equipment to the Kyiv regime."

The ministry said it had also protested against a Greek decision to declare a group of Russian diplomats "personae non gratae."

The Greek Foreign Ministry said on Monday it regrets Moscow's decision. "There is no basis for the decision of the Russian authorities to expel members of the staff of the Greek diplomatic and consular authority in Russia," it said in a news release.

Greece is a member of NATO and the European Union and has joined EU sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine.



Russia Captures UK National Fighting Alongside Ukraine in the Kursk Region

Civilians wearing military uniforms take part in a military training organized by Ukrainian soldiers of The Third Separate Assault Brigade in Kyiv, on November 23, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Tetiana DZHAFAROVA / AFP)
Civilians wearing military uniforms take part in a military training organized by Ukrainian soldiers of The Third Separate Assault Brigade in Kyiv, on November 23, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Tetiana DZHAFAROVA / AFP)
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Russia Captures UK National Fighting Alongside Ukraine in the Kursk Region

Civilians wearing military uniforms take part in a military training organized by Ukrainian soldiers of The Third Separate Assault Brigade in Kyiv, on November 23, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Tetiana DZHAFAROVA / AFP)
Civilians wearing military uniforms take part in a military training organized by Ukrainian soldiers of The Third Separate Assault Brigade in Kyiv, on November 23, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Tetiana DZHAFAROVA / AFP)

The Russian military captured a British national fighting alongside Ukrainian troops in Russia's partially occupied Kursk region, state news agency Tass reported Monday, citing unidentified sources in the law enforcement.
The man was identified by Tass and other media as James Scott Rhys Anderson. Tass quoted him as saying that he had served as a signalman in the British army for four years and then joined the International Legion of Ukraine, formed early on in Russia's nearly 3-year-old war against its neighbor.
In Ukraine, Anderson reportedly served as an instructor for Ukrainian troops and was deployed to the Kursk region against his will. Tass published a video of the man saying in English that he doesn’t want to be “here.”
The report couldn’t be independently verified, but if confirmed it could be the first publicly known case of a Western national captured on Russian soil while fighting for Ukraine.
The UK Embassy in Moscow and the Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.