Moscow responds after Theresa May ordered removal of 23 Russian diplomats from Britain

Moscow has responded after Theresa May announced that Russian diplomats were to be
expelled from the UK.

In the biggest expulsion since the cold war, Britain is to kick out 23 Russian diplomats. The
country will also break off high-level contacts with the Kremlin over the nerve-agent attack
on a former spy and his daughter in an English town.

However, in a statement responding to the development, the Russian Embassy said:
‘On March 14 Russian Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko was summoned to the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office where he was informed that 23 diplomats were declared
personae non gratae.

‘We consider this hostile action as totally unacceptable, unjustified and shortsighted. All the
responsibility for the deterioration of the Russia-UK relationship lies with the current political
leadership of Britain.’