Malena Mard, Sweden’s ambassador to Moscow, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on May 25 to obtain the notification, TASS reported.

In a information launch, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, “The Swedish ambassador was notified that the Russian side had decided to declare as personae non gratae five Swedish diplomats, including three staffers of the defense attache’s office at the Swedish embassy in Moscow, as a retaliatory measure.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry recalled that it had beforehand labeled Stockholm’s determination to declare 5 workers of Russian diplomatic missions in Sweden as personae non gratae on April 25, 2023, as an overtly hostile act.

Emphasizing the deteriorating state of bilateral relations, which have reached an unprecedented low degree, the Russian Foreign Ministry highlighted the continued Russophobic marketing campaign in Sweden as a contributing issue to the strained scenario. The ministry harassed, “These actions by the Swedish authorities further exacerbated the situation in bilateral relations, which have reached an unprecedented low level, including as a result of the ongoing Russophobic campaign in Sweden.”

The Swedish diplomats have been given the identical deadline set by Swedish authorities for the departure of Russian diplomats and are required to go away Russia accordingly.