OREANDA-NEWS Moscow has demanded that Slovenia reduce the number of embassy staff by four people within ten days, according to the press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Gazeta.ru reported.

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Charge d'Affaires of Slovenia in the Russian Federation on May 19 to protest "against the Slovenian authorities' groundless attempts to blame Russia for war crimes in Ukraine and Slovenia's provision of military assistance to the Kiev regime," the diplomatic mission said.

The ambassador was handed a note demanding that the Slovenian mission's staff be reduced in response to Ljubljana's downsizing of the Russian embassy, as well as because of the "deteriorating working conditions" of Russian diplomats.
In April, Slovenia announced the expulsion of 33 Russian diplomats.

In the same month, the country's cabinet decided to send Ukraine material aid in the form of IP phones, computers, gasoline generators, antennas and cables. It was also reported that Slovenia could give Ukraine Soviet T-72 tanks in exchange for German Marder infantry fighting vehicles and Fuchs armored personnel carriers.