The Russian Foreign Ministry specified that five employees of the Moldovan diplomatic mission in Moscow were ordered to leave Russia within three days.
"In response to the May 29th expulsion of five Russian diplomats from Chisinau, five employees of the Moldovan diplomatic mission in Moscow are declared persona non grata. They need to leave the territory of Russia within three days," the ministry said.
Commenting on the decision, Moscow said that Russia hopes Moldova will realize that its unfriendly actions are "counterproductive."
The ministry said that the expulsion of Russian diplomats from Moldova earlier this week is "destructive and contrary to the principles of partnership and mutual trust."
Moldovan President Igor Dodon told Sputnik he condemned such actions by the Moldovan government, adding that he hopes to discuss the issue with Putin on the sidelines of the SPIEF set for June 1-3.
Moscow condemned the decision to expel Russian diplomats and vowed it would respond.