Moscow has also given four Austrian diplomats until Sunday to leave.
Moscow:
Russia said on Tuesday that it was expelling 31 diplomats from three European countries as part of a “coercive measure” following its military operation in Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry declared 15 diplomats from the Netherlands “personality non greta” and gave them two weeks to leave.
Moscow last month gave Belgian embassy staff the same deadline for its decision to expel 21 Russian envoys.
Belgium’s foreign ministry told AFP the measure targeted 12 diplomats.
Moscow gave four Austrian diplomats until Sunday to leave, underscoring a break in ties with a country that had been relative neutral since the Cold War.
Belgium called Russia’s decision “totally unfair and baseless” and regretted a measure that increased “Russia’s international diplomatic isolation”.
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said: “Now we are going to see what consequences will come from the fact that so many allies have to leave Moscow and St Petersburg.”
Moscow’s announcement came a week after Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehmer became the first European leader to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the Kremlin launched its military operation in Ukraine on February 24.
The offensive has thrown Russia into international isolation and severed many of its economic ties with the West.
Russia has still not responded to decisions by Germany and France to send 40 Moscow envoys home each, meaning more evictions are likely soon.
Moscow also summoned Luxembourg’s envoy on Tuesday, warning him that Russia may decide to take reciprocal measures following the expulsion of Moscow’s ambassador by the small European state.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called the Netherlands’ decision to expel Moscow envoys “baseless” and the move by Belgium “provocative”.
The ministry said the expulsion of the four Russians from Austria “seriously damaged both bilateral relations and Austria’s international reputation”.
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