As previously reported, the UK has set out a number of measures against Russia, including its decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats in response to the nerve agent attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal (previous blog here). The US has designated 19 individuals and 5 entities for Russia’s “interference with the 2016 US elections” and its role in conducting “malicious cyberattacks” (previous blog here).

In response, Russia has announced that 23 diplomats from the UK Embassy in Moscow have been declared ‘persona non grata’ and will be expelled from Russia within a week, and that the British Council and the UK Consulate General in St Petersburg will be closed. Russia has also said it will be expanding its sanctions ‘blacklist’ against a number of US individuals – see here.