Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Moldovan President Igor Dodon (L) during Dodan's first official visit to Moscow | EPA/Alexei Druzhinin Russia expels five Moldovans as diplomatic row worsens Moldova had ordered five Russians to leave the country.

The Russian foreign ministry on Wednesday ordered five Moldovan diplomats to leave the country within three days as part of an ongoing consular dispute between the two countries.

"Russia believes that Chișinău will realize that its unfriendly actions towards Russia are counterproductive and that Moldova’s latest move is destructive and runs counter to the principles of partnership and mutual confidence," the ministry said in a statement.

Moldova, which declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, on Monday expelled five members of the Russian embassy without explanation.

Prime Minister Pavel Filip, who leads the country's pro-EU government, said there were “good reasons” for doing so. "It was a matter of the country's national interests and the state security of Moldova," Filip said, according to Reuters.