Moscow on Saturday announced 23 British diplomats have one week to leave Russia, a retaliation for the United Kingdom's decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats and cut off high-level communications with Russia earlier this week.
The first expulsion came in response to the poisoning of a former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter, Yulia, who now live in England. Both remain in critical condition. The U.S., U.K., France, and Germany have blamed the nerve gas attack on Moscow, which denies the accusation.
Russia's Saturday announcement also said the British Council in Russia, a cultural liaison, and the British Consulate in St. Petersburg will be shut down. The U.K. Foreign Office said it "anticipated a response of this kind."