US expels UN Russian staff member

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United Nations Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric confirmed Tuesday that the United States has decided to expel a Russian employee working at the UN Secretariat in New York.

“I can confirm that the US mission to the United Nations informed the Secretariat on 28 February ... of its decision to take action under Section 13 (b) of the UN-US Headquarters Agreement with respect to a staff member in the Secretariat,” Dujarric said when asked to confirm reports of the expulsion of a Russian staffer.

“We regret that we find ourselves in this situation but are engaging with the host country [US],” he expressed.

Dujarric declined to disclose the name and position of the affected employee in deference to the privacy of the individual and the “sensitivity of the matter.”

The Spokesperson noted that the staff member was scheduled to end his assignment with the United Nations on March 14.

It is noteworthy that on Monday, the US designated 12 people from the Russian mission as persona non grata for allegedly “engaging in espionage,” demanding they leave by March 7.

In a similar context, the United States embassy in Russia has advised its nationals to leave the country "immediately" warning them that commercial flights might not be available soon.

"US citizens should consider departing Russia immediately via commercial options still available," the alert on the Embassy's website read.

The diplomatic mission also reminded its citizens that "the Department of State's Travel Advisory level for Russia is at 'Level 4: Do Not Travel.'"