More than 50 employees of the UK diplomatic mission will leave the Russian Federation to ensure that the number of British diplomats in Russia and Russian in Britain is parity, said official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.

"The British side should, within a month, by appropriate reductions of its personnel, bring the total number of employees of the British Embassy in Moscow and the British Consulate General in Russia in line with the number of Russian diplomats and administrative and technical workers who are on long-term business trips in the United Kingdom. In other words, parity is proposed. The difference between the numerical strength of more than 50 people in favor of the British side, "- wrote Zakharova on her Facebook page.

Earlier, London announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats in connection with the "case of Skripal". Moscow responded with the expulsion of a similar number of British diplomats. With the submission of London, which accuses the Russian authorities of involvement in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, a number of European countries have announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats, the United States, Canada and Ukraine. Moscow promised to take retaliatory measures. Accusations of involvement in the poisoning of violins Russia categorically denies.