After the expulsion of hundreds of Russian diplomats by several European countries during the past two days, Moscow reiterated that it would respond forcefully to this step.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in radio statements today, Wednesday, according to the "Sputnik" agency, that her country will provide an appropriate response to any unfriendly act against Russian diplomats.
She also compared the countries that took this step to those who "shoot their feet", as she put it.
Low level
As for the possibility of Russia being excluded from the UN Security Council, it considered that the professional level of Western diplomats has deteriorated.
With regard to the town of Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, and the accusations raised by the Russian forces of war crimes, it considered that what happened was more than just a provocation through the fabricated pictures that were published of the corpses in the streets.
She also added: "This is a global criminal provocation, because the so-called civilized countries participated in it and presented it as facts, which proves that they are complicit."
Russia denies
It is noteworthy that the Russian Defense Ministry had categorically denied the accusations made by the Ukrainian authorities against the Russian forces of committing "war crimes" in Bucha, stressing that during the period when the town was under the control of the Russians, no civilians were harmed, but rather the residents were allowed to leave towards the north.
Moscow has also stressed more than once during the past few days that "the pictures and videos that appeared from Bucha are fabricated and were specially prepared for Western media."
It is noteworthy that these accusations leveled at the Russians prompted many countries, led by France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Greece and Sweden, in addition to Portugal, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, during the past two days to expel Russian diplomats.
The European Union and the United States also vowed to impose more economic sanctions on Russia, as well as punish politicians with their families.
Western countries have strongly sided with Kyiv since the launch of that Russian operation on February 24, imposing thousands of sanctions that affected various sectors, as well as politicians led by Russian President Vladimir Putin, his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and many others, in addition to wealthy Russians close to The Kremlin.
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