Britain Expels 23 Russian Diplomats

Theresa May, the Prime Minister of Britain, announced that in response to the poisoning of a Russian double agent and his daughter, 23 Russian diplomats will be expelled from the country. Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, March 14, she also emphasized that wherever a threat is perceived, Russian government assets will be frozen. May stated that Britain will not send a high-level delegation to the World Cup to be held in Russia next summer. Britain had given Moscow until midnight on Tuesday to explain the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury. Britain has identified Russia as the main suspect in the poisoning of the former spy and his daughter with a nerve agent. Russia has denied the allegations. Sergei Skripal and his daughter were hospitalized on March 4 after a mysterious poisoning in Salisbury, and they remain in intensive care. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, stated that the British government should conduct a thorough investigation before accusing Russia and clarify what happened to Sergei Skripal. In response to a British journalist's question about Russia's involvement in the incident, Putin said, 'You should first conduct a complete investigation, and then we will talk about it.' Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said in a press conference that Sergei Skripal was working for British security agencies and was poisoned on British soil, thus 'this incident has nothing to do with Russia, let alone the leadership of this country.' Sergei Skripal, 66, was previously an officer in the Russian military's security service. He was arrested in December 2004 and sentenced to prison for transferring classified information to Britain and treason; he was granted asylum in Britain in 2010 during a spy swap with the United States and has lived in the country for years. Barack Obama also expelled Russian diplomats from the U.S. in the final days of his presidency in response to allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. elections, which Russia has denied.