Russia Expels 23 British Diplomats Amid Ongoing Tensions with London

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday, March 17, its decision to expel 23 British diplomats, stating that they must leave Moscow within a week. According to Reuters, this announcement followed a meeting between Russian Foreign Ministry officials and Laurie Bristow, the British ambassador to Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry's statement also indicated that 'in retaliation for Prime Minister Theresa May's decision to expel 23 Russians, Moscow has decided to close the British consulate in Russia and revoke Britain's permit to open a consulate in St. Petersburg.' The recent tensions in Moscow-London relations arose after Britain reported the possibility of Russian President's involvement in a chemical attack on a citizen on British soil. Britain has identified Russia as the main suspect in the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter with a nerve agent, an accusation that Moscow denies. The individual in question, Sergei Skripal, is a former spy who worked for the Russian military intelligence service; British police announced on March 4 that Skripal and his daughter had been targeted with a nerve agent in the city of Salisbury. They were hospitalized following the poisoning and remain in intensive care. The British Prime Minister, addressing Parliament, identified Russia as the perpetrator of the attack and gave Moscow until midnight Tuesday to explain the incident. Meanwhile, Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's ambassador to the UN, reiterated in the Security Council on Wednesday that Moscow was not involved in the attack on Skripal and his daughter. The Russian ambassador also requested that samples of the substances used in the attack be made available for investigation. Sergei Skripal, 66, was previously an officer in the Russian military 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 swap with American spies and has lived there for years. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, also stated in a recent press conference that 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.' Following the unsuccessful verbal exchange between Britain and Russia, Theresa May announced on Wednesday that London had decided to expel 23 Russian diplomats and cut high-level relations between the two countries. Concurrently, the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Britain was also canceled. In response to these actions, the Russian Foreign Ministry's recent statement indicated that 'if Britain takes further unfriendly steps against Russia, Moscow may also take further measures.' Meanwhile, Nikki Haley, the US representative to the UN, stated on March 13 at the Security Council that Russia is responsible for the nerve agent attack on a former spy and his daughter in Britain. Ms. Haley emphasized that the Security Council must respond to this issue. Britain's allies, including the US, France, and Germany, have condemned Russia for its alleged involvement in this action.