Russia has expelled three European diplomats after accusing them of joining protests in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny who has been jailed for two and a half years.
The diplomats home nations of Germany, Sweden and Poland have condemned the expulsions.
Mr Navalny is a leading critic of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Recently he returned to Russia after accusing the authorities of poisoning him with a nerve-agent and seeking medical treatment in Germany.
Hundreds of thousands of people took past in mass protests in January in support of the opposition leader, leading to thousands of arrests. The diplomats are accused by Russia of joining in the demonstrations.
Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg reports.
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