You're reading: Estonian consul expelled from St. Petersburg after Russian diplomat’s expulsion

Tallinn - Estonian Consul in St. Petersburg Franek Persidski has been expelled in retaliation against the expulsion of Russian Embassy in Tallinn Councilor Nikolai Fursov, the Estonian EER broadcaster portal reported on Thursday.

He said the Russian diplomat left Estonia in February. He was listed in the security police year book in 2012. The diplomat’s photo was in the section dedicated to Russian intelligence in Estonia.

Persidski was expelled this week. A representative of the Estonian Foreign Ministry told Interfax on Wednesday, “Franek Persidski has returned to Estonia from the Consulate in St. Petersburg. This is Russia’s response to the similar decision of Estonian authorities made earlier.”

A number of Estonian media outlets presumed on Wednesday that Estonia’s refusal to issue visas to a group of Russian NGO activists wishing to visit Tallinn was the reason for the expulsion of Persidski.

Now the Estonian diplomat’s expulsion looks differently, the portal said. A number of sources confirmed that Fursov left the country in February 2013. Estonian and Russian authorities abstained from comment.