France announces the expulsion of six Russian spies “operating under diplomatic cover”

Six Russian agents operating in France “under diplomatic cover” have been “declared persona non grata” on the territory, announced Monday April 11 the Quai d’Orsay in a press release. This decision follows “a very long investigation” of the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) which made it possible to update “a clandestine operation carried out by the Russian intelligence services” on French soil, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its press release.

According to information from France Télévisions, this is the culmination of a case that has been ongoing for several months, which gave rise to the surveillance of a Russian agent, in contact with a Frenchman to buy information. It was the latter who warned the French secret services. For the moment, the French authorities have not communicated on the nature of this clandestine operation.

The activities of these six agents “have proven to be contrary to our national interests”which led to their expulsion. “In the absence of the Russian ambassador, the number two was summoned to the Quai d’Orsay this (Monday) evening to be informed of this decision”add the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, welcomed this operation by the DGSI on his Twitter account: “Remarkable counterintelligence operation. Congratulations to the DGSI agents who hindered a network of Russian clandestine agents who were working against our interests. The agents involved will have to leave the national territory. In the shadows, the DGSI watches over our interests fundamentals”.

Paris had already announced last Monday the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats, already repeating the formula according to which their activities were “opposites” to French interests and specifying that the sanction was part of “a European approach”.