Exclusive: Russian diplomats expelled from Moldova recruited fighters - sources

A general view shows the Embassy of Russia in Chisinau, Moldova May 30, 2017. REUTERS/Viktor Dimitrov

CHISINAU (Reuters) - Moldovan intelligence believes five Russian diplomats expelled from Moldova last month were spies who were recruiting fighters for the Moscow-backed insurgency in neighbouring Ukraine, a government source and two diplomatic sources told Reuters.

Moldova, a former Soviet state that has long been the focus of a struggle for influence between Russia and the West, expelled the diplomats on May 29. It did not explain the decision, with Prime Minister Pavel Filip saying only that his government had "good reasons".