Moscow on Thursday asserted that it was expelling four Austrian diplomats right after Vienna expelled about four employees of Russia’s foreign missions in Austria, with tensions soaring over the Ukraine conflict.

The foreign ministry disclosed that the expulsion of its diplomats had been an ‘unfriendly and unjustified step that ’causes serious damage to bilateral relations, which are already in crisis due to the actions of the Austrian side’.

Africa Today News, New York reports that Austria and other EU nations have expelled dozens of Russian diplomats since Moscow launched a military campaign in Ukraine, with Russia reciprocating the measures.

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The ministry said it summoned Austria’s ambassador to Moscow and informed him that four employees of Austria’s embassy in Russia were ‘declared persona non grata’.

Meanwhile, they have been given until February 23 to leave the country.

‘The ambassador’s attention was also drawn to the emerging difficulties with obtaining visas for official Russian delegations travelling to Vienna,’ the ministry added in its statement.

Africa Today News, New York recalls that earlier in February, Vienna said it was expelling four Russian diplomats, including two accredited with the United Nations in Vienna, saying they acted ‘in a manner incompatible with their diplomatic status’.

Austria said in response the decision ‘comes as no surprise.’

‘We regret this unjustified decision by Russia, which has no factual basis whatsoever,’ the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Africa Today News, New York reports that diplomatic expulsions are rare in neutral Austria, which enjoyed close relations with Russia before Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine.

Recall that China’s Foreign Ministry sought to blame the United States for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, claiming Washington created the conditions that led to the war.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning told reporters yesterday

The spokesperson also used the opportunity to condemn the weapons deliveries for inflaming the conflict as it approaches the one-year mark.