A Russian military attache has been held in Ukraine on suspicion of spying and ordered to leave the country.
The attache – who was not named – had been engaged in activities “not in accordance with his diplomatic status”, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said.
Kiev and the West accuse Russia of stoking a separatist unrest in eastern Ukraine – a claim Moscow denies.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund approved a $17.1bn (£10.1bn) loan for Ukraine’s beleaguered economy.
The bailout money is dependent on strict economic reforms, including raising taxes and energy prices.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian foreign ministry confirmed to the BBC that the Russian attache had been detained on Wednesday and declared “persona non grata”.
The spokesman declined to provide any further details.
The Kremlin has so far made no public comment on the issue.
This comes amid growing tensions between Kiev and Moscow, as armed pro-Russian gunmen continue to hold a number of government buildings in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s acting President Olexandr Turchynov admitted that his forces were “helpless” to quell the unrest, saying the goal was now to prevent it from spreading.
Mr Turchynov also said Ukraine was on “full combat alert”, amid fears that Russian troops could invade.
Some 40,000 Russian troops are stationed close to the Ukrainian border. Moscow has warned that its soldiers will act if Russian interests in eastern Ukraine – where a majority of the population are Russian-speaking – are threatened.
The US and EU have accused Russia of failing to implement the terms of last month’s deal agreed in Geneva aimed at defusing the crisis by disarming illegal militias.
They have both stepped up sanctions against Russia this week, naming more individuals and companies facing travel bans and asset freezes.
The sanctions were initially imposed after Russia annexed the Crimea region from Ukraine last month.
The IMF said $100bn (£59bn) would leave Russia this year, partly caused by the sanctions. The fund also warned that Russia was “experiencing recession” because of damage caused by the Ukraine crisis.
The attache – who was not named – had been engaged in activities “not in accordance with his diplomatic status”, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said.
Kiev and the West accuse Russia of stoking a separatist unrest in eastern Ukraine – a claim Moscow denies.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund approved a $17.1bn (£10.1bn) loan for Ukraine’s beleaguered economy.
The bailout money is dependent on strict economic reforms, including raising taxes and energy prices.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian foreign ministry confirmed to the BBC that the Russian attache had been detained on Wednesday and declared “persona non grata”.
The spokesman declined to provide any further details.
The Kremlin has so far made no public comment on the issue.
This comes amid growing tensions between Kiev and Moscow, as armed pro-Russian gunmen continue to hold a number of government buildings in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s acting President Olexandr Turchynov admitted that his forces were “helpless” to quell the unrest, saying the goal was now to prevent it from spreading.
Mr Turchynov also said Ukraine was on “full combat alert”, amid fears that Russian troops could invade.
Some 40,000 Russian troops are stationed close to the Ukrainian border. Moscow has warned that its soldiers will act if Russian interests in eastern Ukraine – where a majority of the population are Russian-speaking – are threatened.
The US and EU have accused Russia of failing to implement the terms of last month’s deal agreed in Geneva aimed at defusing the crisis by disarming illegal militias.
They have both stepped up sanctions against Russia this week, naming more individuals and companies facing travel bans and asset freezes.
The sanctions were initially imposed after Russia annexed the Crimea region from Ukraine last month.
The IMF said $100bn (£59bn) would leave Russia this year, partly caused by the sanctions. The fund also warned that Russia was “experiencing recession” because of damage caused by the Ukraine crisis.
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