In what was seen as a retaliatory move, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Greece’s ambassador to Moscow on Monday and told him it was responding in kind to last month’s “unfriendly decision by Athens to expel two Russian diplomats”.

More specifically, Greek Ambassador to Moscow Andreas Friganas was handed a note informing him “of tit-for-tat measures taken by the Russian side”.

According to Russia’s state-backed news agency RIA, an unnamed source confirmed Moscow has also expelled Greece’s trade representative as well as a Greek senior diplomatic employee responsible for the country’s communications policy in Russia.

This news comes after Greece expelled two Russian diplomats and barred two other people from entering the country back in July amid allegations that they bribed protesters to demonstrate against the pending agreement between Greece and FYROM.

The envoys denied any involvement or knowledge of such illegal funding with the intent to prevent FYROM from becoming a member of NATO, even though Russia has strongly opposed NATO expansion to countries that once were under Moscow’s influence.