Britain expels 23 Russian diplomats over chemical attack of ex-spy, Russia threatens to retaliate

On Wednesday, Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats in response to a nerve agent attack on a Russian former double agent in southern England, which happened to be the biggest single expulsion in over 30 years but Russia has threatened to retaliate.

Britain says Russia is responsible for using the Novichok nerve agent, a Soviet-era military-grade nerve agent against former spy Sergei Skripal, 66 and his daughter Yulia, 33 in the English city of Salisbury. They have been critically ill in hospital since they were found unconscious on a bench on March 4.

British Prime Minister, Theresa May told parliament on Wednesday that Britain would also freeze Russian state assets wherever there was evidence of a threat and downgrade its attendance at the soccer World Cup this summer.

In response, Russia warned Britain on Thursday that it would retaliate very soon.

According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Lavrov, Russia’s response would come “very soon” but be conveyed to British officials first, an apparent contradiction of an earlier report by state news agency RIA that said Lavrov had promised to expel British diplomats.
 
She had asked Moscow to explain whether it was responsible for the attack or had lost control of stocks of the highly dangerous substance.

Russia has denied any involvement, and accused London of behaving in a “boorish” way, adding that this was partly due to the problems Britain faces over its planned exit from the European Union next year but May told parliament Moscow had provided no credible explanation for the attack.