Belgium Expels 4 Russian Diplomats, Arrests 5 Others in Raid on Spy Ring

Belgium expelled four Russian diplomats and arrested five other people Saturday after security forces broke a Moscow-linked spy ring that has wrenched this country out of post-Cold War complacency.

The arrests followed dawn raids by police and security forces at about 20 places across Belgium on Friday and the subsequent expulsion of four Russians--two embassy diplomats and two trade officials.

Belgian state investigator Bruno Bulthe said three industrialists, a journalist and a civil servant had been arrested--all apparently Belgians.

Exposure of the espionage network sparked bitter Belgian criticism of Russia and a warning that the incident could hurt Western commitment to a large aid package for Moscow.

Belgian officials did not spell out whether the spying was still going on when the expulsions and arrests took place. But their statements made it clear that the spy network carried on after the breakup of the Soviet Union in January.

The officials also did not say whether they had entirely stopped the spy operation.

“I was not the only one to believe that after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the breakup of the Soviet Union, we had put an end to this kind of activity,” Foreign Minister Willy Claes told Belgian radio.

Claes said the Belgian Embassy in Moscow had lodged a protest Saturday, saying the incident imperiled not only bilateral relations but also those between Russia and the European Community. “And this at a time when Russia is seeking billions of francs,” he said. “I don’t hide my bitterness.”

The expulsion of the Russians is believed to be the first from a Western country since the Soviet Union broke up in December.