Russian spy’s daughter no longer in critical care

London: The daughter of an exRussian spy hit in a nerve agent attack that has chilled Russia’s relations with the West is no longer critical, a hospital said, as Moscow expelled 60 US diplomats in the latest titfortat move.

Yulia Skripal (pic), 33, was “improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition”, said the hospital where she and her father were treated since the March 4 attack blamed on Moscow by Britain.

She was now “stable” with the BBC reporting she was conscious and talking.

Her father Sergei Skripal, 66, a former Russian double agent, remains in a critical but stable condition, said the hospital in the southwestern English city of Salisbury.

The announcement came as Russia hit back at the US’s earlier expulsion of 60 diplomats and shut down the Russian consulate general in Seattle.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the US ambassador had been informed of “retaliatory measures”, saying that “they include the expulsion of the equivalent number of diplomats and our decision to withdraw permission for the functioning of the US consulate general in Saint Petersburg”.

Lavrov added that Russia would also issue titfortat responses to the other countries that have expelled diplomats in a mass show of support for Britain.