Russia says expelled two US diplomats in June in retaliation

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia said yesterday it had expelled two US Embassy staff members in June after a similar ‘unfriendly’ move by Washington.

One of the expelled diplomats was involved in an incident with a Russian policeman near the US Embassy entrance in Moscow, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

Another diplomat was “also a CIA operative,” Ryabkov said. The United States expelled two Russian officials on June 17 in response to an attack by a Russian policeman on a US diplomat in Moscow earlier in the month, the State Department said on Friday.