Latvia has declared one employee of the Russian Embassy persona non grata and expelled him from the country. At the request of the Latvian Foreign Ministry, the diplomat must leave by April 10. The ministry said in a statement on March 27 that it summoned the Russian charge d'affaires to protest "unacceptable and provocational public communication” pursued by the embassy that Latvia said was aimed at discreding its state institutions and stirring up hatred in society. Despite repeated reprimands, the Russian Embassy persisted in the inaccurate public communication, the ministry said.