MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. Moscow will prepare tit-for-tat measures in response to NATO’s decision to strip eight staffers of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to NATO of their accreditation, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing on Thursday.

"The unwillingness of NATO to cooperate has become obvious once and for all. We will proceed from this in working on retaliatory measures, which will follow," the diplomat said.

On Wednesday, NATO announced that it was halving Russia’s Permanent Mission to the alliance in Brussels, withdrawing the accreditation of eight diplomats and closing down the positions of two more. Eight Russian diplomats, whose accreditation to NATO has been withdrawn, were given until the end of October to leave Brussels.