Russia: “Unfriendly” Western Diplomats Get Marching Orders

MOSCOW Jamie Dettmer(VOA) —  The Kremlin has given marching orders to “unfriendly diplomats” from several Western countries in retaliation for the collective Western expulsion of Russian diplomats.

Britain’s diplomatic staff appears to have been targeted with the largest cut, with the British ambassador being told he has a month to reduce his staff to the exact same number as the Russian diplomatic corps in Britain.

The retaliatory measure comes a day after Russia kicked out 60 U.S. diplomats and closed the St. Petersburg consulate. The envoys or deputies of Germany, the Netherlands, Ukraine, France, Italy, Poland, Croatia, Belgium, Sweden, Australia, Canada and the Czech Republic were all seen arriving in official cars at the Foreign Ministry building in central Moscow.