Lithuania expels Russian for spying, report says

VILNIUS - Lithuania expelled on Sunday a high-ranking Russian diplomat for suspected spying, the Baltic News Service (BNS) reported, quoting unnamed sources.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman declined immediate comment on the report.

BNS said the sources told it that the diplomat working in Vilnius had been ordered to leave Lithuania on suspicion of espionage and "seeking to influence Lithuania's determination to support Georgia amid its conflict with Moscow".

A diplomatic crisis between Georgia and Russia erupted after Georgian law enforcement officers detained several Russian officers on suspicion of spying for Moscow.

The suspected spies were later handed over to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

- REUTERS