Estonia declares Russian embassy official persona non grata

The Estonian publication ERR reports.

On Wednesday, August 13, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared Dmitry Prilepin, First Secretary of the Russian Embassy in Tallinn, persona non grata. The ministry demands that the Russian diplomat leave the country.

According to the Estonian MFA, the decision was conveyed to the Russian chargé d'affaires along with an official note.

According to the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian diplomat was directly and actively involved in undermining Estonia’s constitutional order and legal system, sowing division in society, and facilitating crimes against the state, including multiple violations of the sanctions regime.

Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated that the Russian Embassy’s constant interference in Estonia’s internal affairs must stop.

"Expulsion is a clear signal: there is no place in our country for coordinated and organized actions by a foreign state," he emphasized.

According to the MFA statement, the decision was made in accordance with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which allows the host country to declare diplomatic staff persona non grata without providing a reason.

After Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022, Estonia reassessed its previous bilateral relations with Russia. The Estonian Consulate General in St. Petersburg and the consular office in Pskov were closed in the spring of 2022. In response, Russia’s Consulate General in Narva and the consular office of its embassy in Tartu were also shut down.

Since February 2023, the Russian Embassy in Tallinn has been headed by chargé d'affaires Lenar Salimullin. Estonia also has no ambassador in Moscow, with the diplomatic mission led by chargé d'affaires Marek Juhtegi.