Acting Hostile, Russia Expels US Diplomats

MOSCOW – Russia has announced the expulsion of a number of diplomats United States of America (US) on the grounds that Washington was taking hostile actions against Moscow.

The expulsions were also in retaliation for Washington’s order to expel 12 staff from the Moscow mission serving the United Nations in New York.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that on Wednesday it summoned a senior diplomat of the US diplomatic mission in Moscow and provided him with a note with a list of deported American diplomatic employees declared “persona non grata”.

The ministry revealed that it was retaliation for the expulsion of a Russian diplomat from the UN mission in New York and a Russian employee from the UN Secretariat.

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“The American side is firmly informed that any hostile action by the United States against Russia will receive a firm and adequate response,” the Foreign Ministry statement in Moscow was quoted as saying. Russia TodayThursday (24/3/2022).

Washington notified Moscow of its decision to declare 12 Russian diplomats “persona non grata” in late February.

The US claims the expelled Russians had engaged in espionage activities detrimental to American national security.

Moscow condemned the decision at the time, blaming Washington for grave breaches of commitments and calling for it to show “common sense” and to avoid further escalation.

Russia’s foreign ministry later said it would choose not to expel American diplomats again.

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