The German Foreign Ministry has said it will dismiss four Moscow diplomats over the alleged poisoning of a former Russian spy. Fifteen other EU states, along with other Western countries, have announced similar moves.
Image: Reuters/File Photo/M. Zmeyer
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Germany announced Monday it is expelling four Russian diplomats over the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia.
Russia has "yet to provide an explanation over the Salisbury attack," the Foreign Ministry tweeted. "We also want to show a sign of solidarity with the UK."
The government's move was hailed even by the opposition, with Green Party lawmaker Robert Habeck saying that because "Russia has opposed attempts to explain what happened in Salisbury, it is up to Putin to de-escalate the situation and to participate in the investigation of the crime."
But the Green Party foreign policy expert Jürgen Trittin countered this, telling DW it would have been better to wait for the report from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on whether Russia was behind the attack.
"I do not know whether one is well advised to embark on a policy of escalation and reciprocal upswing on the basis of plausibilities," Trittin said.
"If this is continued, then we will very quickly find ourselves in a Cold War 2.0 situation, and I do not think this is wise. For everything we want from Russia and where we want Russia to change its behavior — be it Syria or the stationing of medium-range missiles — a new Cold War is not helpful, but possibly even harmful."
Fifteen other EU countries, along with other Western states, have said they would be taking similar measures, after Britain kicked out 23 Russian diplomats earlier this month.
"Additional measures, including further expulsions within the common EU framework, are not to be excluded in the coming days and weeks," said European Council President Donald Tusk.
France, Poland and Canada have said that, like Germany, they plan to expel four diplomats; the Czech Republic and Lithuania three; Italy, Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands two; and Estonia, Latvia, Sweden, Romania, Croatia, Albania and Hungary one.
On Tuesday, Australia also expelled two Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that Kyiv would expel 13, adding that Russia had demonstrated "its dismissive attitude not only to the sovereignty of independent states, but also to the value of human life."
The poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal has caused a standoff between Russia and the UK. Russia has denied knowledge of the poisoning but that hasn't stopped other countries taking action.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Caddick
Ex-Russian spy poisoned
On March 4, former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter were found slumped on a bench outside a shopping center in the British town of Salisbury. Authorities said both were in a critical condition after being exposed to an "unknown substance." Skripal was a former general of Russian military intelligence who had been convicted in Russia for spying for the UK.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Tass
Russia denies involvement
Russia denied any knowledge of the poisoning, which echoed the murder of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in 2006. Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210. "We see that such a tragic situation happened," Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on March 6. "But we don't have information about what could be the cause, what this person did."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/TASS/M. Metzel
Nerve agent suspected
On March 7, British police said they suspected a very rare nerve agent was behind the poisoning of Skripal. "This is being treated as a major incident involving attempted murder by administration of a nerve agent," Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley said in a statement. "I can also confirm that we believe the two people originally who became unwell were targeted specifically."
British police said more than 21 people had sought medical treatment as a result of the nerve agent attack. On March 8, UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the House of Commons that enormous resources were being used to determine who was behind the attack. Rudd called the use of a chemical nerve agent on British soil a "brazen and reckless" act that would be answered with all possible force.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/A. Matthews
May gives Russia a deadline
On March 12, British Prime Minister Theresa May told lawmakers it was "highly likely" Russia was behind the poisoning. May said the Russian government had either ordered the attack or lost control of the Russian-produced chemical nerve agent Novichok. She gave Moscow until midnight on Tuesday to explain its Novichok program to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/empics/PA Wire
EU supports UK
On March 13, vice president of the European Commission European Union, Valdis Dombrovskis, said the EU would stand in solidarity with Britain after London accused Russia of being behind the nerve agent attack. When asked if the EU might impose sanctions of Russia if it was agreed Moscow was responsible for the attack, Dombrovskis said: "Of course, the UK can count on EU solidarity in this regard."
Image: picture-alliance/empics/Y. Mok
Russia calls UK bluff
Russia failed to respond to May’s midnight deadline for an explanation of its suspected involvement in the poisoning. On March 14, a spokesperson for the Russian Embassy in London said Moscow would not respond "until it receives samples of the chemical substance." May had said a "full range" of retaliatory measures would be considered if Moscow did not give a "credible response" by the deadline.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/F. Augstein
UK announces expulsions of diplomats
After Russia failed to give an explanation, May announced on March 14 that the UK would expel 23 Russian diplomats identified as "undeclared intelligence officers." May also said the UK would suspend all high-level bilateral contact with Russia. The biggest expulsions from London in 30 years would "fundamentally degrade Russian intelligence capability for years to come," May said.
Image: picture alliance/TASS/dpa/I. Dmitryachev
France, Germany, UK, US blame Russia
On March 15, the leaders of France, Germany, the UK and US released a joint statement that demanded "complete disclosure" from Russia saying there is "no plausible alternative" to Moscow's involvement. The statement said the attack using "a military-grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia" constituted "an assault on UK sovereignty" that threatened "the security of us all."
Image: picture alliance/NurPhoto/A. Pezzali
Russia expels British diplomats
In retaliation to the UK, Russia said it would also expel 23 British diplomats, giving them the same one-week deadline. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it would also close the British Council in Russia, and might take further measures against Britain in the event of more "hostile steps" from London. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, had said Moscow would "of course" respond with expulsions.
"It's complete drivel, rubbish, nonsense that somebody in Russia would allow themselves to do such a thing ahead of elections and the World Cup," Putin said on March 19. "It's quite obvious that if it were a military-grade nerve agent, people would have died on the spot." Putin said Moscow "destroyed all our chemical weapons under international oversight unlike some of our partners."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Klimentyev
UK says Novichok was used
On March 20, UK scientists determined Skripal was poisoned using a little-known nerve agent from a group of chemical compounds known as Novichok. The family of compounds, which were developed in the 1970s and 80s, comprise numerous nerve agents. The Soviets once developed these weapons to circumvent the Chemical Weapons Convention. Novichok-5 and Novichok-7 are supposed to be the most dangerous.
Image: Getty Images/C.J. Ratcliffe
Mass Russian diplomat expulsions
A number of EU countries teamed together on March 26 and simultaneously announced they would be expelling Russian diplomats. Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Latvia and Ukraine all announced they would be expelling Russian envoys. The US followed suit with the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats and announced the closure of Moscow's consulate in Seattle.
Image: Reuters/G. Garanich
Poison on front door
UK police found the highest concentration of the nerve agent on the front door of the Skripal's family home in Salisbury. They believe that is where Skripal and his daughter must have first come into contact with the poison. It was likely mixed in with a "gloopy substance" smeared on the door handle.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/F. Augstein
New Novichok victims
In early July, weeks after both Skripals were discharged from the Salisbury hospital, another two people were apparently poisoned with the same substance in the nearby town of Amesbury. A 45-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman were found unconscious and were transported to the same hospital in critical condition.
Image: Getty Images/J. Taylor
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The US swiftly followed suit by expelling 60 Russian diplomats from within its borders, and announced the closure of Moscow's consulate in Seattle.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the move was in response to "Russia's use of a military-grade chemical weapon on the soil of the United Kingdom." She added that the decision will hinder "Russia's ability to spy on Americans and to conduct covert operations that threaten America's national security."
Austria, however, was one of the few Western countries to take a clear stance against recalling diplomats. "We want to be bridge builders," said Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, "and keep the channels of communication to Russia open."
Moscow promises retaliation
Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador to the US, called the move "wrongful" and warned it would considerably damage what was left of US-Russian ties.
"The reciprocity principle will work in every such case," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in response, according to state news agency TASS. Peskov added that President Vladimir Putin would have the final say on Russia's next move.
Later, a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry accused "Britain's allies" of "blindly following the principle of Euro-Atlantic unity to the detriment of common sense, the norms of civilized international dialogue and the principles of international law."
British Prime Minister Theresa May told Parliament that the expulsions "sent a message that we will not continue to allow Russia to flaunt international law and undermine our values."
Theresa May welcomes decision to expel Russian diplomats
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On March 4, Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found extremely ill on a park bench in Salisbury, England, where Skripal has been living since he was freed from Russian custody in a 2010 "spy swap" with the US. The two remain critically ill in a local hospital.
