BELGRADE, Serbia

North Macedonia on Friday ordered six Russian diplomats to leave the country, the second such expulsion in less than a month. 

The Foreign Ministry said it summoned Russian Ambassador Sergey Bazdnikin​​​​​​​ to hand over a diplomatic note giving the individuals five days to leave North Macedonia.

“Based on the information received from the relevant authorities, the six Russian diplomats in question were engaging in activities contrary to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” read a ministry statement.

North Macedonia levelled similar charges when it expelled five other Russian diplomats in late March.

Over 400 Russian diplomats have been expelled from at least 20 countries, including Germany, France, Italy and Spain, since Moscow launched its ongoing war on Ukraine on Feb. 24.