At least twenty Moldovan nationals, including eighteen PAS lawmakers, have been banned from entering Russia in response to Moldova recently expelling 45 diplomatic staff.

According to Radio Europa Liberă’s sources, the ban also applies to Border Police deputy director Oleg Bucătaru and Petru Macovei, executive director of the Independent Press Association NGO.

The eighteen PAS lawmakers, according to Europa Liberă, are: Mihai Popșoi, Radu Marian, Veronica Roșca, Andrian Cheptonar, Ion Șpac, Eugenia Cojocari, Ersilia Qatrawi, Mihail Druță, Maria Pancu, Artemie Catanoi, Igor Chiriac, Ion Groza, Vasile Grădinaru, Sergiu Lazarencu, Vitalie Jacot, Ion Babici, Doina Gherman, and Gheorghe Cojoc.

Lilian Darii, Moldova’s ambassador in Moscow, was summoned earlier today by the Russian Foreign Ministry to be told about the decision.

The Russian authorities said this was in response to “Chisinau’s unjustified decision to radically cut the number of Russia’s diplomatic staff in the Republic of Moldova”, which it described as “an unfriendly measure (that) further degrades the Russia-Moldova relationship, which is already in a deep crisis because of actions taken by the Moldovan side”.