INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
EU countries Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland on Tuesday announced the expulsion of dozens of Russian diplomats suspected of spying, in
coordinated action taken in the shadow of Moscow's war in Ukraine.Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes said her country was kicking out
conjunction with the neighboring Netherlands, whose foreign ministry said it was expelling 17 Russian diplomats considered "secretly active"
as intelligence officers.Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said four "senior officials" from Russia's embassy in Dublin had been
told to leave for engaging in activities "not..
by ordering out their own diplomats.The expulsions announced Tuesday ratcheted up Western blows directed at Russia following its Feb
considers all EU countries, along with the United States and allies including Japan, Britain and Australia, to be "hostile" countries.In the
wake of Russia's invasion, the United States in early March kicked out 12 Russian diplomats based in New York it deemed to be
"intelligence operatives."Russia retaliated last week by handing the United States a list of American diplomats declared "persona non
grata."Poland, an EU country neighbouring Ukraine, last week expelled 45 Russian diplomats over alleged espionage, prompting Moscow to
accuse Warsaw of embarking on "a dangerous escalation."Russia was left virtually isolated in the United Nations' General Assembly on March 2
Ukraine.Just five countries voted against the resolution: Russia, Syria, North Korea, Belarus and Eritrea
Another 35 abstained, including China.Two days later, on March 4, the UN Human Rights Council voted to trigger an investigation into
violations committed in the war in Ukraine
Thirty-two of the council's 47 members voted in favor, with just Russia and Eritrea voting against.Two weeks ago, Russia announced it was
quitting another international rights forum, the Council of Europe -- just before the pan-European body based in Strasbourg said it was
