Graphics: Countries that have expelled Russian diplomats in response to ex-Russian spy poisoning
2018-03-27 13:27 GMT+8
Three weeks after the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skirpal in the English city of Salisbury, more than 20 countries including the US, France, Germany and Canada have aligned with the UK, expelling over 100 Russian diplomats in total.
It is said to be the largest collective expulsion of Russian diplomats in history.
Russia has called the expulsions a "provocative gesture" and threatened to retaliate.
Earlier, Moscow told 23 British diplomats to leave the country and it closed the British Consulate General in St. Petersburg and the British Council in the country.
Who is Sergei Skripal?
Sergei Viktrovich Skripal, 66, was born in Russia.
Little is known about his early life but he served in the Russian military intelligence service, GRU.
He reached the rank of colonel in the GRU but left in 1999 to work in the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Skripal was arrested in December 2004 by Federal Security Service agents on suspicion of treason: passing secrets to the UK’s MI6 intelligence agency.
He was jailed for 13 years after a conviction in 2006. He confessed to his treachery and to selling information of several dozen Russian agents to MI6.
Skripal was exchanged in a spy swap deal in 2010. In June that year, the FBI broke up an undercover Russian spy ring in the US and Skripal was pardoned by then-President Dmitry Medvedev and was exchanged for 10 Russian spies caught in the US.
He has kept out of the spotlight until he was found unconscious on March 4 in Salisbury.
His wife died of cancer in 2012 and their son died in 2017. Russian authorities have not given many details about their deaths.
Their daughter, Yulia, 33, still remains unconscious in hospital after she was found with her father.
Some big expulsions from the past
1971
Britain expelled 90 Russian diplomats accused of espionage.
1985
Britain expelled 25 alleged Russian spy officers after Oleg Gordievksy defected to Britain.
1986
US President Ronald Reagan expelled 80 Russian diplomats.
1996
Britain expelled four Russian diplomats after Moscow expelled four British officials after uncovering a British spy ring.
2016
US expelled 35 Russian diplomats after the alleged hacking of the US Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton campaign during the 2016 presidential election.