Russia expels 23 British diplomats in tit-for-tat move after poisoning of double agent

The Russian government expelled 23 British diplomats Saturday in response to Great Britain’s decision to expel Russian operatives over the poisoning of a former Russian double agent and his daughter in England.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry also said it is closing the British Consulate General in St. Petersburg and the British Council in Russia, a cultural institute, due to what it called “groundless accusations” by Britain. The British diplomats have a week to leave.

“The British side is warned that in case of further unfriendly actions against Russia, the Russian side reserves the right to take further retaliatory measures,” the foreign ministry said.

The retaliation comes a day before Russians head to the polls for an election in which President Vladimir Putin is expected to win a second term.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said Saturday that her government will consider its next steps against Moscow after consulting with Britain’s allies over the next few days.

“But Russia’s response doesn’t change the facts of the matter,” she said at the Conservative Spring Forum in London. “The attempted assassination of two people on British soil, for which there is no alternative conclusion other than that the Russian state was culpable. It is Russia that is in flagrant breach of international law and the Chemical Weapons Convention.”

Tensions between the two nations have increased dramatically since the March 4 nerve-agent attack on Sergei Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia in Salisbury. They remain hospitalized in critical condition; a police officer who responded to the attack is also seriously ill.

The U.S. also has condemned the attack and urged Moscow to explain its actions.

The Trump administration announced Friday in an unrelated matter that the U.S. was imposing sanctions on Russian entities and individuals, including Russian spy agencies, for meddling in the 2016 presidential election and waging cyberattacks against the U.S.

Moscow hit back at the U.S. sanctions by expanding the number of Americans on its “blacklist,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Friday.