2018-03-30 17:08 update: 2018-09-26, 17:43
epa06617643 Polish ambassador to Russia Wlodzimierz Marciniak (C) leaves a car as he arrives to the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, Russia, 21 March 2018. Foreign diplomats arrive to attend a Russian Foreign Ministry's briefing on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia poisoning case. British Prime Minister Theresa May ordered the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats, who left Britain on 20 March, in retaliation for the poisoning of the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal aged 66 and his daughter Yulia, aged 33, who were found suffering from extreme exposure to a rare nerve agent in Salisbury southern England, on 04 March 2018. Skripal and his daughter Yulia remain in a 'very serious' condition. Archive PAP/EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV
Four Moscow-posted Polish diplomats have until April 7 to leave the country after being recognised as persona non grata, the Polish Foreign Ministry informed on Friday.
According to the Ministry, the decision is a retaliatory move after Poland's expulsion of four Russian diplomats from its territory, in solidarity with Britain, over a recent nerve agent attack on British-resident former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
Earlier on Friday, the Polish Ambassador in Moscow Wlodzimierz Marciniak was notified about the expulsions by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The Polish Foreign Ministry also informed that Russia has taken similar steps against French and German diplomatic staff.
On Friday afternoon the Russian foreign ministry announced that heads of diplomatic missions from a total of 23 countries were summoned. German, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Finnish, Swedish, Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, Czech and Ukrainian ambassadors were also handed over decisions regarding expulsions from Russia.
The Russian ministry also said that it would retain the right to use retaliatory measures against Belgium, Hungary, Georgia and Montenegro.
In the case of Great Britain, the Russian foreign ministry declared on Friday that within a month the number of UK diplomats in Russia is to be equated with the number of Russian diplomats in Great Britain. The Russian ministry stated that Britain's "provocative actions" led to the fact that many Western countries decided to expel Russian diplomats. The British ambassador was handed a protest note.
On Monday, Poland had declared four Russian diplomats persona non grata. Apart from Poland, expulsions of Russian diplomats have been announced by the US, Canada, Ukraine, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Croatia and Hungary.
The move comes in the wake of the recent attempt to poison British-resident former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. According to the British side the attempt was most probably masterminded by Russia.
Colonel Skripal and his daughter Yulia on March 4, were hospitalised in a critical condition when they lost consciousness in Salisbury, southwest of London. In the course of the investigation, conducted with the participation of police anti-terrorist forces and military experts on chemical weapons, it was found that the chemical weapon known as Novichok nerve agent produced in Russia was used in the attack against the Skripals. As part of diplomatic sanctions, the UK expelled 23 Russian diplomats from its territory. (PAP)
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