Two diplomats based in the Irish Embassy in Moscow have been asked to leave the country, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The Ambassador of Ireland to the Russian Federation was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow on Thursday and was informed of the decision to expel two officials.
The announcement comes just weeks after four senior employees at the Russian Embassy in Dublin were asked to leave the State.
Taoiseach Michael Martin said the reason for their expulsion from Ireland came in light of security advice received by the Government.
However, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said on Thursday evening “there is no justification for the taking of this measure [by Russia].”
In a statement released, he said: "The Ambassador of Ireland to the Russian Federation was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow this afternoon and informed that two diplomats from our Embassy in Moscow have been asked to leave.
"There is no justification for the taking of this measure.
"The staff at the Embassy of Ireland in Moscow do not have, nor are engaged in, any duties or functions which are incompatible with their diplomatic status.”
Mr Coveney went on to say that this decision will severely impact the provision of services to Irish citizens in Russia.
"This decision to reduce the size of our relatively small Embassy in Moscow will significantly reduce our ability to provide services to our citizens in Russia and to maintain diplomatic channels of communication with the Russian Federation,” he said.
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