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Kremlin vows that Moscow can respond to London’s anti-Russian actions at any time

On March 4, ex-intelligence officer Sergey Skripal aged 66, and his daughter Yulia, aged 33, came into contact with a nerve agent and were found unconscious in Salisbury

© Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS

MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has assured that Moscow’s retaliatory measures in response to London’s actions over the Skripal case can follow at any moment.

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"[They] can be expected at any moment," the Kremlin spokesman said answering reporters’ questions.

"[Retaliatory measures] will not be long in coming," Peskov promised. He stressed that "all steps, will, course, be well thought-out and will fully meet our country’s interests."

The measures Great Britain has taken against Russia are a violation of international law and a breach of common sense, he went on.

"The Kremlin is indeed surprised," he said. "Honestly speaking, we have never encountered such behavior on the international stage, when serious accusations are made against a country - our country in this particular case - but words used include ‘highly likely’ and so on," Peskov pointed out.

According to him, "it is not only a violation of international law but also a breach of common sense." "This is the reason why we are surprised," the Kremlin spokesman added.On March 4, former Russian military intelligence Colonel Sergey Skripal convicted of spying for Britain and his daughter Yulia were exposed to a nerve agent in the city of Salisbury. They were found unconscious on a bench near a shopping center. Both are currently in the hospital in critical condition. British Prime Minister Theresa May accused Russia of "an unlawful use of force" against her country. She announced that London would expel 23 Russian diplomats and take other measures against Moscow. Russia has vehemently denied its involvement in the incident and said retaliatory measures would follow soon.

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