The Russian Foreign Ministry had earlier released a statement on downgrading diplomatic relations with Estonia to the level of the charge d’affaires in response to drastic staff cuts at the Russian embassy in Tallinn
Tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions have more than halved the number of Estonian diplomats in Moscow, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says, as well as the closure of consulates in St. Petersburg and Pskov.
The expulsion of Estonian diplomats from the Russian Federation in the wake of the February 24 invasion of Ukraine has made obtaining consular assistance much more complicated for any Estonian citizens in Russia who may need it, the foreign ministry says.