Moscow warns of' symmetrical' response to Western countries' expulsion of Russian diplomats

FILE PHOTO: Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev gives an interview at the Gorki state residence outside Moscow, Russia January 25, 2022. Picture taken January 25, 2022. Sputnik/Yulia Zyryanova/Pool via REUTERS

Russia will respond proportionately to the expulsion of its diplomats from a number of Western countries, Russian ex-president and deputy head of security council Dmitry Medvedev said late on Monday.

"Everyone knows the answer: it will be symmetrical and destructive for bilateral relations," Medvedev said in a posting on his Telegram channel.