Moldova is cutting the number of diplomats Russia can have in Chisinau, its foreign minister said, complaining about years of “hostile actions” by Moscow and noting a media report about possible spying kit installed on the embassy’s roof, writes Reuters.

“We agreed on the need to limit the number of accredited diplomats from Russia, so that there are fewer people trying to destabilize the Republic of Moldova”, Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu said at a cabinet meeting.

“The Russian embassy had already been informed of the decision. For many years we have been the object of hostile Russian actions and policies. Many of them were made through the embassy”, - he added.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a weekly briefing that Moldova’s decision would “not go unanswered”, calling it “another step in the destruction of bilateral relations” between the countries.