A Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier targets a weapon at combat positions on the dividing line near the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine, April 16, 2021. REUTERS / Serhiy Takhmazov / File Photo
Russia’s FSB security service briefly detained a Ukrainian diplomat in Saint Petersburg, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday during the latest flare-up of tensions between neighboring countries.
Interfax news agency previously reported that the FSB said Oleksandr Sosoniuk was taken into custody while trying to obtain classified information from Russian law enforcement databases during a meeting with a Russian citizen.
“This activity is incompatible with the status of a diplomatic worker and is hostile to the Russian Federation. The foreign diplomat will be treated in accordance with international law,” the FSB said.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Sosoniuk was detained for several hours, but is now back at the country’s consulate in St. Petersburg.
Tensions between Moscow and Kiev have risen due to an increase in Russian troops along the border and clashes in eastern Ukraine between the military and pro-Moscow separatists.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pushed for peace negotiations on Friday. read more
“The Ukrainian side will soon decide how to respond to this provocation, taking into account current practice,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said of Sosoniuk’s detention.
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