Russia to retaliate, expel UK diplomats

Moscow, March 15 

Russia said on Thursday it will retaliate very soon for Britain’s expulsion of 23 diplomats as Moscow and London traded public insults about a nerve toxin attack on a former Russian double agent in England.

After the first known use of a military-grade nerve toxin “Novichok”, on British soil since World War II , the United States, France, NATO and the European Union gave verbal support to May, though it remained unclear what action the West would take.

Lavrov said Russia’s response will come “very soon” but will be conveyed to British officials first.

“The temperature of Russian-British relations drops to minus 23 but we are not afraid of the cold weather,” Russia’s embassy in London said.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, has warned that if concrete measures were not initiated, “Russia will use chemical weapons here in New York or in cities of any country that sits on this Council”. 

UK to set up chemical weapons defence centre 

• Defence Secretary said  48-mn -pound chemical weapons centre will be located at the DSTL Lab in Porton Down
• Prime Minister Theresa May paid a visit to the site of the poisoning in Salisbury on Thursday
• Locals have described the city centre as a “ghost town” since the chemical attack took place in Salisbury
• This is the first known use of a military-grade nerve toxin on British soil since World War II — Reuters