Putin Expels Russian Ambassadors to Estonia, Latvia

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Friday to dismiss the ambassadors to Latvia and Estonia.

“To release Vanin Mikhail Valentinovich from the duties of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Latvia,” one of the posted documents read.

A similar decree was issued to Vladimir Lipaev, who represented the interests of Russia in Estonia.

Last year, Estonia summoned the Russian ambassador to condemn Putin's "completely unacceptable" praise for Tsar Peter the Great.

Putin paid tribute to Tsar Peter the Great, an 18th-century Russian ruler who captured a city that is now Estonian. He specifically mentioned Narva, which belongs to Estonia, one of the three Baltic States and a NATO member.

Estonia's foreign minister said Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev had been summoned "to condemn recent statements by President Putin ... including his comments on the Estonian city of Narva," it said in a statement.

"At a time when Russia is ... trying to destroy the statehood and people of Ukraine, it is also completely unacceptable," it added.