LONDON: Britain on Monday hailed the "extraordinary international response" to the poisoning of a former double agent on its soil as scores of Russian diplomats were expelled around the world.
"Today's extraordinary international response by our allies stands in history as the largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers ever and will help defend our shared security," Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson wrote in a tweet.
Prime Minister
Theresa May's office welcomed the expulsions, saying they "clearly demonstrate that we all stand shoulder to shoulder in sending the strongest signal to
Russia that it cannot continue to flout international law".
The United States led the way, expelling 60 Russian "spies", while Canada, Ukraine and 14 European Union countries all announced retaliatory measures in response to the nerve agent attack on former spy
Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in England on March 4.
The Skripals are in a coma in a critical but stable condition in hospital in Salisbury, southwest England, close to where the attack took place.
Moscow denies all responsibility for the incident and relations between Britain and Russia have been plunged into severe crisis.
British Prime Minister Theresa May (AFP photo)
