The U.S. decided to suspend 12 U.N. delegates from Russia that were in New York, saying they were “intelligence operatives.”
U.N. spokesperson Olivia Dalton said the Russian officials who were expelled “abused their privileges of residency in the United States by engaging in espionage activities that are adverse to our national security.”
Dalton said the expulsions were not due to the situation in Ukraine, but had been in the works for “several months.”
The delegates have until March 7 to leave the country.
“Those diplomats that have been asked to leave the United States were engaged in activities that were not in accordance with their responsibilities and obligations as diplomats,” U.S. Ambassador Richard Mills said.
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