Russia responded to US sanctions. Most importantly , Russia will send ten American diplomats, significantly limit the work of the remaining ones. Sanctions were imposed on six senior US officials

, and Ambassador Sullivan was recommended to go to Washington for consultations

What diplomatic restrictions did RUSSIA take

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking after talks with his Serbian counterpart Nikola Selakovich, told reporters how Moscow would respond to Washington on the sanctions imposed the day before. The main part of the Russian sanctions concerns the restriction of the work of the American diplomatic mission in Russia and the equalization of the conditions for the work of American diplomats in Russia with Russian diplomats in the United States .

Russia recommended that US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan return to Washington, an extremely rare measure. Usually the ambassador is called in for consultations or recalled by the authorities of his country. However, no formal lowering of the level of relations between the countries was announced. Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov has been in Russia since March, he was invited for consultations. The Russian authorities do not report the timing of his return, indicating that consultations are ongoing and will take an indefinite time. The “recommendation” to the ambassador from presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs magazine, calls a euphemism similar to the one that the Russian Foreign Ministry used when Ambassador Antonov was summoned to Moscow. “The Foreign Ministry insisted that this was not a response, but an invitation, although in fact, of course, it was a response, but the wording was softer. It's the same here. This is actually a deportation. And, of course, he must leave, because in fact the HEAD of the host country informs him that his stay in this country at the moment is not advisable, ”Lukyanov says.

In 1952, by decision of Joseph Stalin, US Ambassador George Kennan was declared persona non grata. Kennan is one of the authors of the containment policy.

Moscow will send ten American diplomats. This is a symmetrical response to the US decision to expel the same number of Russian diplomats that Washington announced on April 15.