Twenty-three Russian diplomats expelled and assets will likely be confiscated from officials and businessmen. The premier, Theresa May, told the House of Commons the "strong and robust response" to what is certain are the "faults" of Moscow in the attempted murder of the former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury on March 4 . British officials are prohibited from participating in the World Cup in Russia. For now, only the participation of the national football team remains confirmed.
The expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats (the highest number since 1971), who will have to leave Britain within a week; the suspension of all upcoming bilateral high-level meetings, starting with those with the Foreign Minister, Serghei Lavrov; the boycott of the World Cup by the Royal Family and the ministers of its government; legislative measures to target the assets in Britain of Russian businessmen and officials suspected of being involved and the freezing of assets of the Russian state that can be used for hostile purposes.
London has also convened an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council tonight and has gathered a chorus of support from allies, including NATO.
Moscow had already warned that it would not respond to the 24-hour ultimatum launched by May, which the Kremlin described as "unacceptable". On Tuesday the British ambassador to Moscow was summoned for a formal protest. Russia, in addition to reiterating its extraneousness to the story, has asked that evidence of these serious accusations be shown, that it be allowed to collaborate in the investigation and receive samples of the nerve gas used for poisoning, because in the case it is a Russian citizen, Skripal's daughter, is involved. Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov denounced London's "presumption" which, he said, only acts on suspicions as if they were evidence and again appealed to the Chemical Weapons Convention, according to which the United Kingdom must give the accused party 10 days to submit a response.
The prevailing idea in Moscow is that the Skripal case is part of an anti-Russian campaign and is an attempt to influence next Sunday's presidential elections and undermine the success of the World Cup.
The Russian embassy in London has immediately called "unacceptable and shortsighted" the expulsions and damage to relations could be "serious and long-term". The Foreign Office has warned British citizens in Russia of the risk that they may be subjected to aggression or mistreatment due to this crisis which is raising tensions between the two countries every day.