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US Embassy in Moscow (archive image)
Photo: Sergei Ilnitsky/ dpa
The conflict in Eastern Europe is being fought in Ukraine itself with heavy weapons.
But there are also a number of escalations at the diplomatic level.
In the latest step, Russia announced the expulsion of several US diplomats on Wednesday.
A list of the names of the US diplomats who had been declared undesirable had been handed over to the head of the US mission, who had been summoned to the State Department, the ministry said in Moscow.
It was a reaction to the expulsion of 12 Russian diplomats from the UN in New York.
The US side has received "a firm indication that any hostile action by the United States against Russia will be met with a firm and appropriate response," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The US State Department confirmed receipt of the list from Moscow.
“This is Russia's latest unhelpful and unproductive move in our bilateral relations.
We call on the Russian government to end the unjustified expulsion of US diplomats and employees,” a spokesman said.
"Now it's more important than ever that our countries have the necessary diplomatic staff to facilitate communication between our governments."
Scandal surrounding the Vice President of the US Embassy in Moscow
At the beginning of March, the United States announced the expulsion of 12 Russian UN diplomats on charges of espionage.
The "secret agents" based at Russia's UN mission in New York were involved in "espionage activities that are contrary to our national security," the US mission to the UN said.
Russia's ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, condemned the expulsion as a "hostile act against our country".
In mid-February, shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine, Russia expelled the deputy head of the US embassy in Moscow.
Bartle Gorman was number two in the US Embassy after Ambassador John Sullivan.
According to the US, he had a valid visa and had been deployed to Russia for less than three years.
Shortly after the move, Moscow announced that it was a retaliatory measure for a previous expulsion of a high-ranking Russian diplomat from Washington.
At the time, the United States protested sharply against the Russian decision.
jok/AFP
