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 21
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
Already several rounds of sanctions engineered mainly by the EU and the U.S
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 U.S
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
non-binding resolution demanding a halt to Moscow's war in 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
