The Moldovan Foreign Ministry declared the three "persona non grata" and ordered them to leave, saying there was "clear evidence'' of actions that violated their diplomatic responsibilities.
The Moldovan Foreign Ministry has handed a note to Russian Ambassador Oleg Ozerov.
"The Foreign Ministry has sent the Russian diplomat a note declaring three employees of the Russian Embassy as persona non grata," the Moldovan foreign policy agency said in a statement. It insisted that the decision by the country’s authorities was based on "clear evidence of activities in the Republic of Moldova incompatible with diplomatic status."
Russia's Foreign Ministry pledged to take retaliatory measures, though it has not specified what those might be, as confirmed by the Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement to TASS.
In response, the Russian ambassador described the accusations from the Moldovan side as "untenable and unfounded." He called on Chisinau to "refrain from provocative speculation" and to return to a pragmatic dialogue on the full range of bilateral issues, which he said aligns with the fundamental interests of both the people of Moldova and Russia.
The expulsions came shortly after Moldova accused the Russian Embassy in Chisinau of helping a pro-Kremlin lawmaker evade a prison sentence. Russian officials have dismissed the accusations as baseless.
Alexandru Musteata, director of Moldova’s Security and Intelligence Service, stated at a briefing that the Russian Embassy had allegedly assisted Alexander Nesterovsky, a legislator from the Victory political bloc, in evading justice. He claimed that a day before Nesterovsky’s verdict was issued, the opposition activist was granted access to the embassy, and the following day, he was transported to Transnistria in a vehicle with diplomatic plates.
Nesterovschii was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison after being convicted of illegally funding a political party linked to Ilan Shor — a fugitive businessman and former lawmaker.
Shor, who fled Moldova after being linked to one of the country's biggest bank fraud scandals, has since aligned himself with pro-Kremlin causes.
According to regulatory filings, he is believed to have set up intermediary companies — some in partnership with sanctioned entities — to help Russian businesses evade Western financial restrictions. His political network has backed parties accused of undermining Moldova's pro-European trajectory.
Moldovan prosecutors say that Nesterovschii funneled money from Shor-linked sources to influence key political events — including the 2023 local elections, the 2024 presidential race, and a referendum on Moldova's bid to join the European Union.
The latest diplomatic tensions come as Moldova gears up for parliamentary elections this autumn, which will gauge the popularity of its pro-European leadership.
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Moldova's parliament approved the introduction of a 60-day energy state of emergency after Russian attacks in neighbouring Ukraine knocked out of service a power line providing most of the country's energy. Deputies approved the measure with 72 votes in favour in the 101-member chamber.
Parts of Ukraine and Moldova, including Kyiv and Chisinau, were plunged into blackouts on Saturday after a malfunction on high-voltage power lines, with electricity restored later in the day.
The European Commission has announced €153 million ($183 million) in emergency aid for Ukraine, alongside €8 million ($9.5 million) to support Moldova, which hosts large numbers of Ukrainian refugees.
Moldova's government in Chisinau has initiated the final legal steps to sever its institutional ties with Moscow’s post-Soviet alliance, marking a decisive moment in the small Eastern European nation’s pivot towards the West.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S is in talks with the new Iranian regime. He said this in a post on his Truth Social account but warned that the U.S. will "Obliterate" Iran's electric and oil facilities if no deal is reached, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz closure.
NASA is aiming to launch its Artemis 2 mission on Wednesday (1 April), sending astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, officials confirmed. According to the Space Administration, the launch window is due to open at 23:24 GMT, with additional opportunities to 6 April if delays occur.
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is intensifying, with fresh strikes near Tehran, European calls for restraint, and Iran threatening to target U.S. firms in the region, raising fears of a broader escalation across the Middle East.
The war in Iran has rapidly upended regional security, triggering spillover across the Middle East and raising fears of wider economic disruption that could threaten globalisation.
The Israeli military said on Monday that Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, and an attack had also been launched from Yemen for the second time since the U.S.-Israeli war began on Tehran. It said two drones from Yemen were intercepted early 30 March but gave no further details.
A Russia-flagged tanker carrying about 700,000 barrels of crude has arrived in Cuba’s Matanzas Bay, marking the first major oil delivery to the island since the Trump administration cut off its fuel supplies.
China and Kenya have agreed to revive a long-delayed railway project, signalling renewed momentum in infrastructure cooperation and a shift towards more sustainable financing models across Africa.
HHungary’s foreign minister has been drawn into controversy after an audio recording, released by an investigative outlet, appeared to show him discussing EU sanctions with his Russian counterpart days before an election that could shape Budapest’s relationship with Moscow, Reuters reports.
The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas and several EU foreign ministers arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday to mark the fourth anniversary of the Bucha massacre and to voice their support for Ukraine, amid tensions within the bloc over blocked EU aid.
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