Russia will lose one-third of the diplomatic detail to the Russia-NATO Council, after the civilian head of the trans-Atlantic alliance revoked the credentials for seven officials and barred three others.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ordered the 10 officials home in response to the attempted assassination of a former Russian military intelligence officer who was convicted of treason and then released to the United Kingdom in 2010. British Prime Minister Theresa May blamed Russia for the attack, saying the ex-spy was poisoned by “a military-grade nerve agent” developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
“This sends a clear message to Russia that there are costs and consequences for its unacceptable and dangerous pattern of behavior,” Stoltenberg told reporters Tuesday. “The practical implication is of course that Russia will have a reduced capability to do intelligence work in NATO countries and in those countries they are expelled from.”
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NATO boots one-third of Russian officials at Council https://t.co/wcugx6NGU2 pic.twitter.com/6fhs63lEjM
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 27, 2018
BREAKING: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has withdrawn accreditation of 7 staff at the Russian Mission to @NATO. Accreditation requests for 3 others will be denied. Max size of the Russian Mission has been cut by one-third, to 20 personnel. #SalisburyAttack 🇷🇺 pic.twitter.com/bGHTWEafxU
— Dylan P. White (@dylanpwhite) March 27, 2018
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