Ukraine expels Belarusian diplomat in response to expulsion of Ukrainian diplomatic advisor
Belarus recently announced that the adviser of the Embassy of Ukraine in Belarus, Ihor Skvortsov was persona non-grata. To reciprocate, Ukraine expelled the Belarusian diplomat from the country, said Mariana Betsa, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
"Because the Belarusians declared persona non-grata and expelled a Ukrainian diplomat, Ukraine, guided by the principle of reciprocity, also expelled the Belarusian diplomat from the country," Betsa told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday, November 21. The spokesperson of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry did not specify the name of the deported diplomat or his post.
On November 17, it became known that Ukrainian Radio journalist Pavlo Sharoiko was arrested on October 25 in Minsk.
The following Monday, November 20, the State Security Committee of Belarus reported the detention of Sharoiko on charges of "creating an agent network in the republic." According to the KGB, Sharoiko admitted that he is an officer of Ukrainian intelligence and that the coordination of his intelligence activities was allegedly carried out by the adviser of the Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus, Ihor Skvortsov, which led to the latter being declared persona non-grata.