Russia and France secretly deported diplomats last year, Les Echos reports, citing sources, Gazeta reported.

According to sources, one of the employees of the economic service of the Russian embassy in Paris was deported for alleged involvement in espionage. In response, Russia deported one of the employees of the economic department of the French embassy in Moscow.

The French diplomatic mission in Russia declined to comment on the matter.

In February 2020, Germany, Poland, and Sweden had deported a number of Russian diplomats after Russia had declared several EU diplomats as persona non grata.