The Belarusian authorities have decided to expel some Ukrainian diplomats and close the Consulate General of Ukraine in Brest, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

"The Ukrainian embassy will continue to work in Belarus in the 1+4 format, that is, the ambassador and four employees," the BelTA state agency reports with reference to press secretary of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry Anatoly Glaz.

Earlier, Minsk said that eight out of 19 employees of the Ukrainian embassy were "cadre members of the national intelligence services."

Spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleh Nikolenko refuted the information that "scouts worked under the guise of the Ukrainian embassy in Belarus."

He also stressed that such statements "increasingly complicate bilateral relations" between Ukraine and Belarus.