Poland, Sweden, Germany, expel Russian envoys

a tit-for-tat move, the governments of Poland, Germany and Sweden have expelled Russian diplomats in direct response to Moscow's expulsion of officials from the three European nations over their participation in rallies against the detention of opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

On February 5, the Russian Foreign Ministry had declared the Swedish, Polish and German diplomats personae non gratae due of their participation in the January 23 "unauthorized rallies" in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Representatives of these countries' embassies were summoned to the Russian Ministry and handed notes of protest.

In a statement on Monday, the Polish Ministr y of Foreign Affairs warned that it would take what it called appropriate steps if the "groundless expulsion" of its diplomat was not reconsidered, reports Xinhua news agency.