Russia declares UK military attache in Moscow persona non grata - Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW. May 16 (Interfax) - Moscow has declared United Kingdom Defense Attache Adrian Coghill persona non grata and told him to leave the country within a week, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

"On May 16, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned a representative of the United Kingdom embassy in Moscow to declare him a strong protest over the unfriendly and unfounded decision made by that country's government on May 8 with regard to the defense attache at the Russian embassy in London," the ministry said in a statement published on its website.

"The British diplomat was informed that, in response to said decision, Defense Attache Adrian Thomas Coghill at the UK embassy in Moscow was declared persona non grata. He is supposed to leave the Russian Federation within a week," the ministry said.

"Our response to the unfriendly anti-Russian actions declared by the British side on May 8 are not limited to this measure. The initiators of the escalation will be informed of our further reciprocal moves," it said.