Responding to the Skripal poisoning, the West announces more expulsions of Russian diplomats, as Moscow promises counter-expulsions

The United States announced on Monday that it is expelling more Russian diplomats. Washington says it will send 60 Russian intelligence officers packing, in response to the poisoning of Sergey Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England. Of the 60 Russians, 48 are embassy staff and 12 are stationed at the Russian mission to the UN, where U.S. officials say they are operating “under the guise of diplomacy” while conducting “covert activities.”

Several other countries are also expelling different numbers of Russian diplomats, in response to Moscow’s alleged use of a banned nerve agent on British soil:

• The UK (23)
• Ukraine (13)
• Canada (4)
• Germany (4)
• France (4)
• Poland (4)
• The Czech Republic (3)
• Lithuania (3)
• The Netherlands (2)
• Italy (2)
• Denmark (2)
• Estonia (1)
• Romania (1)
• Croatia (1)
• Latvia (1)
• Finland (1)

The tit for tat continues 

Moscow has already vowed to respond in kind, expelling “at least 60 American diplomats.” Senator Vladimir Dzhabarov, the deputy chairman of the Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, told reporters that he believes Donald Trump only approved the expulsion of Russian diplomats “under the strongest pressure from the American establishment.”