The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Swedish and Polish diplomats in St. Petersburg and a German diplomat in Moscow of taking part in what it called "unlawful" rallies on Jan. 23. Tens of thousands of people across Russia took to the streets that day to protest Navalny's arrest. The diplomats were declared "persona non grata" and were required to leave Russia "shortly," a ministry statement said. The U.S. condemns the expulsion today of three European diplomats from Russia for observing the January protests. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is seen during a hearing on his charges for defamation in Moscow on Friday.

Source: CBC News February 05, 2021 22:18 UTC