The Russian foreign ministry ordered several hundred U.S. diplomats and their families to leave Russia, saying the security of the diplomats had been compromised by the United States.
The diplomat and family that made the decision to leave included the last United States ambassador in Russia, John Tefft, who left his post earlier this year.
Other diplomats are expected to leave over the next couple of weeks, Russia’s foreign ministry said. It said it had sent an official note to the United States earlier today asking the U.S. side to explain why the decision was necessary.
“We remind the U.S. side that the facts of the constant intimidation against Russian diplomatic staff and consular officials, and the construction of a ‘secret’ CIA base in Saint-Petersburg should not be kept secret,” the Russian foreign ministry said. “The U.S. state department has confirmed that U.S. embassy staff has been subjected to various repressive measures at the disposal of the Russian authorities.”
In 2014, former U.S. officials said the United States ran an elaborate surveillance operation from a former Soviet military base in St. Petersburg, the CIA base known as Station 18.