“The United States has informed the United Nations and the Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations that it has initiated procedures to expel 12 intelligence agents in the Russian mission who took advantage” of their diplomatic status in the United States to engage in “espionage activities on our national security,” a statement from the spokeswoman for the US mission to the United Nations said.“.
The spokeswoman stressed that the measure had been in preparation for “many months”, in a sign that seemed intended to distinguish the step from the US response to the war waged by Russia against Ukraine..