According to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finland is planning a plan to expel Russian diplomats.
Foreign Minister staff Pekka Haavisto (Green) confirmed to Yle that deportations are currently being prepared. The ministry did not say further.
Prime Minister Sanna Marinia (SDP) was asked to comment on the issue at a press conference following the government’s budget talks on Tuesday.
"The expulsion of Russian diplomats is an issue that must also be discussed in Finland." Marin said and added that the matter will be examined in more detail when Haavisto returns to Finland.
The Foreign Minister is currently attending the Moldova Support Conference and meetings with the Nordic and French Foreign Ministers in Berlin.
Hundreds of Russian diplomats were deported by EU countries
Finland would follow in the footsteps of other EU countries, including Denmark and Sweden, which have expelled several Russian diplomats in the Ukrainian city of Buchan after finding mass graves.
Denmark and Sweden have expelled several Russian diplomats on suspicion of espionage. According to the Swedish Security Service (Säpo), one in three Russian representatives in Sweden is a spy.
The country has so far expelled three diplomats for failing to act in accordance with the Vienna Convention. However, the Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said the country does not rule out the possibility of further deportation.
Linde said the decision to expel the delegates could have consequences for its own embassy in Moscow.
Meanwhile, Denmark announced on Tuesday that it would expel 15 "intelligence services" acting as diplomats in the country.
Other countries, such as France, Germany, Spain and Italy, have so far expelled well over 250 Russian diplomats, Reuters reports.
The Kremlin has called for deportations "unfortunate" and short-sighted" and warned them to do "will inevitably lead to a reciprocal reaction from Moscow."
Source: The Nordic Page