Several Russian personnel have been expelled from NATO headquarters due to allegations of espionage, Reuters reported, referring to an interview by the alliance's general secretary, Jens Stoltenberg, for the German magazine “Bild”, writes BTA.
„We realized that they are carrying out activities that are not really diplomatic work, but intelligence work,” said the Secretary General.
Today, a NATO spokesman clarified that it is about actions of the alliance in recent years, and not in recent months, as was originally written by "Bild", reports Reuters.
The newspaper itself also clarified the address of its article, clarifying that Stoltenberg did not mention a time period when talking about the expulsions in his interview with the German publication.
"Russia closed its representation in NATO in October 2021. In an interview with "Bild" this week, the secretary general is referring to actions taken in recent years," said an alliance representative.
In the interview, Stoltenberg also says: "We see that Russian intelligence services have been operating in European countries for many years. We are also witnessing their attempts to step up their activities, but of course NATO allies are watching this very carefully.