Russia announced that it had decided to deport five members of the Portuguese diplomatic mission to it with a response procedure.

And the Russian Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said that it had summoned the Portuguese Ambassador to Moscow, Madalena Fischer, and expressed “strong protest against the provocative decision of the Portuguese authorities” to expel 10 employees of the Russian embassy in Lisbon.

The Russian side emphasized, according to the statement, that “this unfriendly step will negatively affect relations” between the two countries, adding: “In my response, five employees of the Portuguese consulate in Russia have been declared persona non grata, and they must leave the country within 14 days from the date of delivery of the corresponding notes to the ambassador.

On Wednesday, Moscow announced the expulsion of dozens of French, Italian and Spanish diplomats in response to similar measures taken by those countries against Russia.

It comes as part of a series of mutual expulsions between Russia and Western countries, including hundreds of diplomats, as Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine on February 24.