Brussels: On March 29, Netherlands’ foreign affairs ministry said in a statement that it had expelled 17 Russian intelligence agents who were accredited as diplomats, based on information from its security services. “The reason for this (decision) is information from the AIVD and MIVD showing that the individuals in question, accredited as diplomats at the Russian representations in the Netherlands, are secretly active as intelligence officers,” the ministry said. Dutch foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra said the government was ready for any reprisal by Moscow.
