French prosecutors opened three cases on Tuesday in what could be called a Russian military crackdown on rivals in France - as at least six European countries have joined other European countries in ousting Russian strategists.
The move comes as pressures on European governments to respond to allegations that Russian troops have committed war crimes in Bucha, a region northwest of Kyiv. Ukrainian authorities and private journalists have reportedly found graves and streets littered with dead people in Bucha after Russian troops began withdrawing from the area.
Speaking on video at a U.N. Security Council meeting On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded that Russian leaders and soldiers be brought before a special tribunal to be tried "immediately" for the atrocities committed in Bucha.
"They killed all the families, adults and children, and tried to burn their bodies," Zelensky said. “This undermines the overall security situation in the world. They destroy everything. ”
Russia, which has denied killing civilians in Ukraine and claiming that Bucha's images are not, has condemned the deportation and vowed to retaliate.
Which countries have expelled Russian politicians?
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, more than a hundred Russian officials from nearly 12 countries have been asked to step down - Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Italy and Denmark have been the latest to announce their ouster on Tuesday. In recent years, Russian strategists have also been expelled from several Western countries for Kremlin actions, including robbery related to the 2016 US presidential election and after former Russian spy Sergei Skripal was targeted by a British intelligence agency.
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said his country would fire 13 Russian diplomats and workers and close down two Russian embassies. Estonia has said it has informed the Russian embassy that it will close two Russian embassies and fire 14 diplomats and diplomatic staff.
And on Tuesday, E.U. Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he had decided to "appoint more officials of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the EU by doing things that violate their diplomatic status." E.U. announced 19 members of the persona non-grata mission.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has said that at least 25 Russian politicians and ambassadors "representing a threat to the interests and security of our country" will be expelled from Madrid.
Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said her country had "decided to expel three Russian politicians whose work in Sweden is not in line with the Vienna Convention."
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio has said Italy will fire 30 Russian diplomats, citing national security.
And the Danish Foreign Ministry said 15 Russian speakers suspected of espionage would have 14 days to leave the country. Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said the move had sent "a clear signal to Moscow" that Denmark would not accept "Russian intelligence officials who inspect Danish soil.