PM May expels 23 Russian diplomats; suspends high-level bilateral contacts

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday expelled 23 Russian diplomats - in the "single biggest expulsion" in more than 30 years and suspended highlevel bilateral contacts, saying Moscow was "culpable" of a nerve agent attack on a former spy and his daughter. Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found collapsed after being poisoned last week. Both remain in a serious condition along with a police officer who came in contact with the same substance.

Russia denies its involvement in the attempted murder. In a statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday, Prime Minister Theresa May said the diplomats singled out have been identified as "undeclared intelligence officers" and will have a week to leave the country under the Vienna Convention. "This will be the single biggest expulsion for over 30 years and it reflects the fact that this is not the first time that the Russian State has acted against our country. Through these expulsions we will fundamentally degrade Russian intelligence capability in the UK for years to come," she said.

She told the Parliament that after chairing a meeting of the UK's National Security Council (NSC) earlier, the government had concluded that Russia was "culpable" as it had no credible explanation that could suggest they lost control of the nerve agent used against the former Russian spy.