The Ukrainian senior diplomat had been detained on Friday while meeting with a Russian in which he obtained classified information from a database of the Federal Security Service, stated the security agency.

The statement added that ‘this activity is incompatible with the status of a diplomatic worker and is clearly hostile towards the Russian Federation”.

The Ukrainian diplomat’s detention was contested by Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry. Calling the act “yet another provocation against the backdrop of destabilizing actions of Russia”, Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolaenko told Bukvy that the Ukrainian diplomat who had been detained for several hours, at the moment was back to the Ukrainian diplomatic mission.

He stressed that Ukraine would soon come up with a response in accordance with common international practice.