The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry protested over the detention of the Ukrainian consul in St. Petersburg and announced the expulsion of the senior diplomat of the Russian embassy in Kyiv.

Earlier, Russia announced its decision to expel the Ukrainian consul Alexander Sosonyuk, who was detained by the Federal Security Service in St. Petersburg after receiving classified information. The MFA statement also notes that the Ukrainian diplomat must leave the country within 72 hours, starting from April 19.

Sosonyuk was interested in data on the registration of Russians, registration numbers of cars, the Federal Security Service base and the base of criminal cases. The special services detained the diplomat in one of the cafes when he received some kind of electronic device.