MOSCOW: In retaliation, Russia said on Thursday that it is expelling five diplomats from the Portuguese Embassy in Moscow. According to reports, Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Portuguese ambassador to Russia to protest the expulsion of ten Russian diplomats from Portugal. The five Portuguese ambassadors have been labelled "personae non-gratae" and have 14 days to leave Russia.

On the same day, Russia ordered that the Slovenian embassy in Moscow cut its diplomatic staff by four persons, or almost 40% of its total, within ten days.

The decision was made in response to Ljubljana's decision last month to shrink the Russian embassy's footprint and worsening working conditions, according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry. The ministry also stated that it has decided to change the operating circumstances of the Slovenian diplomatic post, but did not elaborate.
On April 5, Portugal and Slovenia stated that the Russian diplomatic staff in Lisbon and Ljubljana, respectively, will be reduced.

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