- Skripal case fallout widens
Russia ordered the expulsion of diplomats from at least 23 countries Friday, as a reciprocal move after those countries expelled Russian diplomats in solidarity with the United Kingdom over the poisoning of a former Russian double agent.
U.S. diplomatic staff began moving out items from the St. Petersburg consulate Friday after Moscow ordered the closing of the consulate and the expulsion of 60 U.S. diplomats on Thursday.
People could be seen carrying bags and furniture out of the consulate gates and loading the items into cars.
Russia demanded the U.S. diplomats leave by April 5 in a retaliatory move against Washington which expelled a similar number of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of a former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia in England.
On Friday, Russia expelled a further 59 diplomats from 23 countries saying it was responding to what it called baseless demands for scores of its own diplomats to leave a slew of mostly Western countries that have joined London and Washington in censuring Moscow.
More than 20 countries announced this week that they would expel Russian diplomats in support of Britain, which blames Moscow for the March 4 nerve agent attack against Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, on British soil. Russia denies involvement.
According to Russia’s state-run Sputnik news outlet, Russia has now expelled the following: 13 Ukrainian, four Canadian, four Polish, four German, three Lithuanian, three Czech, three Moldovan, two Italian, two Dutch, two Spanish and two Danish diplomats.
Also expelled are one Finn, one Latvian, one Swede, one Norwegian, one Romanian, one Croatian and one Irish diplomat, as well as an Estonian military attache.
Moscow reserved the right to respond to Belgium, Hungary, Montenegro and Georgia with regard to their actions over the Skripal case, Sputnik said.
The wave of expulsions comes a day after Russia announced that it would expel 60 US diplomats and close the US consulate in St. Petersburg in retaliation for a similar step by Washington, which said Monday it would be expelling 60 Russian diplomats and closing the Russian consulate in Seattle.