The expulsions amount to a quarter of Russian diplomats currently accredited in Oslo, the Norwegian government said.

It is the latest instance of a Western nation expelling Russian diplomats since the beginning of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. So far this year, Estonia, the Netherlands and Austria have also expelled Russian diplomats.

Norway also expelled three Russians in April 2022.

“This is an important step in countering, and reducing the level of, Russian intelligence activity in Norway, and thus in safeguarding our national interests,” Norway’s foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt said in a statement.

“Russia currently poses the greatest intelligence threat to Norway … We will not allow Russian intelligence officers to operate under diplomatic cover,” she added.

The officers concerned must leave Norway shortly, the ministry said in the statement.

The Russian foreign ministry said Moscow would respond to the expulsions, state-owned news agency TASS reported, without elaborating. Officials at Russia’s Oslo embassy were not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters.

Norway, a member of the Nato military alliance, shares a border with Russia in the Arctic.

The expulsions could further complicate the process of transferring the chair of the Arctic Council, a multilateral body in which Arctic nations discuss issues affecting the polar region.

Moscow currently holds the chair but Norway is due to take over on May 11 and Oslo had said it would prioritise a smooth transition.

The Nordic country still seeks to maintain normal diplomatic relations with Russia, and Russian diplomats are welcome in Norway, Huitfeldt said.