The Russian diplomat expelled based on the ANB's assessment met with Bulajić

Diplomat of the Russian Federation, Viktor Antipin, accredited in Montenegro, was declared persona non grata - undesirable, based on the assessment of the National Security Agency (ANB), the News reported.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed that decision yesterday, without mentioning the name of the Russian diplomat.

"The formal note on this decision, which states the deadline of 72 hours to leave the territory of our country, was delivered today to the ambassador of the Russian Federation. The reason for making this decision is the assessment of the relevant security authorities in Montenegro about the activities of the Russian diplomat that are in conflict with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," the MFA statement reads.

The Russian Embassy in Podgorica did not respond to Vijesta's questions about the person who was expelled from Montenegro.

Security services coordinator Dritan Abazović said at the end of February that the security sector monitors the influx of foreign factors, protecting the national interests of Montenegro, while ANB director Dejan Vukšić then said that he could not talk to journalists about secret information. He neither confirmed nor denied the allegations about Bulajić's meetings with Russian intelligence officers.

"Vijesti" announced that ANB recorded two meetings between the Speaker of the Assembly Strahinja Bulajić (Democratic Front) and the Russian SVR intelligence officers Viktor Antipin and Aleksandar Perišov.

At the time, Bulajić stated in an official statement that he was the target of a media harangue because of his refusal to schedule a session of the Assembly, and that due to the nature of his work, he spoke with a number of diplomats - among them Russian. "Of all those meetings, the only one that attracted attention was the meeting with the diplomatic representative of the Russian Federation, in broad daylight, in a bar where dozens of guests were present;" he stated then.