MOSCOW, August 1. /TASS/. US Republican Senator John McCain is not surprised by Moscow's decision to send hundreds of US diplomats from Russia after the US Congress adopted a bill providing for further tightening of the regime of unilateral sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea.

"Not surprising Putin throws out US diplomats, but he & his cronies will still pay price for attacking our democracy," the senator wrote on Twitter.

McCain is one of those senators who are most critical of Russia. The lawmaker repeatedly called for new anti-Russian sanctions.

On July 28, the Russian Foreign Ministry proposed the US party to "equal the number of diplomatic and technical staff members working in the US Embassy in Moscow and in consulates general in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok to the exact number of Russian diplomats and technical staff members who are working in the US before September 1." "This means that the total number of staff working in US diplomatic and consulate entities in Russia will be reduced to 455 people," the ministry said in a statement. "In case the US authorities take new unilateral actions to reduce the number of our diplomats in the US, it will be responded in kind."

In addition to that, Russia is suspending the use of the warehouses and the property in Serebryany Bor in Moscow by the US Embassy as of August 1.

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted in an interview with VGTRK host Vladimir Solovyov that a total of 755 US diplomats are to leave Russia.