Russia on Tuesday declared a staff member of the Estonian diplomatic mission in Moscow a "persona non grata," asking him to leave the country.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said it summoned Estonian Ambassador Margus Laidre and gave him a note asking for the diplomat's departure within a week.
The ministry pointed out that this was a retaliatory move to the expulsion of a Russian diplomat from the Estonian capital Tallinn, where he was stationed, in response to the arrest and banishment of the Estonian consul in Saint Petersburg, Mart Latte, over spying allegations.
-We offer our Estonian partners to stop, not to further complicate the situation that they have already aggravated to the limit. Otherwise, a new decisive response from the Russian Foreign Ministry will follow. At the same time, the entire responsibility for the deterioration of bilateral relations will fall entirely on the Estonian side- the ministry said.
On July 6, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said it detained Latte "red-handed," trying to obtain classified information.
Latte was declared a persona non grata the following day and given 48 hours to leave Russia.