A member of the Ukrainian military service points a weapon at fighting positions on the dividing line near the rebel-held city of Donetsk, Ukraine, April 16, 2021. REUTERS / Serhiy Takhmazov / File Photo
The Russian FSB security service briefly detained a Ukrainian diplomat in St. Petersburg, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday in the latest surge in tensions between neighboring countries.
The Interfax news agency reported earlier that the FSB said Oleksandr Sosoniuk was arrested when he tried 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 employee and is hostile to the Russian Federation. The foreign diplomat will be treated in accordance with international law,” the FSB said.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry said Sosoniuk had been detained for several hours but was now back at the country’s consulate in St. Petersburg.
Tensions between Moscow and Kiev are mounting amid build-up of Russian troops along the border and clashes in eastern Ukraine between the military and pro-Moscow separatists.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday called for peace talks. read more
“The Ukrainian side will soon decide how to respond to this provocation, taking into account current practice,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said of Sosoniuk’s detention.
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