Tit-for-tat measures

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Russia retaliates against Britain’s handling of spy poisoning crisis by expelling 23 diplomats and closing a British consulate.

Moscow: Russia said it would expel 23 British diplomats and close a British consulate following London’s “provocative” measures over the poisoning of a spy that has triggered a toxic war of words.

It also said it would halt activities of the British Council in Russia in a tough series of retaliatory measures announced after summoning British ambassador Laurie Bristow.

The Russian response was announced yesterday, on the eve of a presidential election which is expected to hand Vladimir Putin a fourth term in the Kremlin, but which comes as the country appears increasingly isolated.

Britain said it had “anticipated a response of this kind” and that its National Security Council would meet to consider its “next steps”.

The crisis erupted after Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were exposed to a Soviet-era nerve agent on March 4 in the city of Salisbury, leaving them in critical condition.

London has blamed Moscow and on Friday, even directly implicated Putin in the attack, prompting the Kremlin’s fury.

“Twenty three diplomatic staff at the British embassy in Moscow are declared persona non grata and to be expelled within a week,” a foreign ministry statement said.

It said this was a response to Britain’s “provocative actions” and “baseless accusations over the incident in Salisbury on March 4”.

Russia also said that it was closing Britain’s consulate in the north- western city of Saint Petersburg, citing a “disparity” in the number of diplomatic missions held by the two countries.

It also said it had halted the activities of the British Council, Britain’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.

The ministry warned Britain that it “retains the right to take other answering measures” in response to any “further unfriendly actions”.

“The measures are more harsh, but the British deserved them,” first deputy head of the Russian Senate’s foreign affairs committee Vladimir Dzhabarov said. — AFP