The Russian government has expelled Bart Gorman, the second-highest ranking official at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, the State Department has confirmed.
Gorman's expulsion cames as tensions continue to mount between Washington and Moscow over the continued threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
CBS News reported Gorman, the U.S. deputy chief of mission to Russia, was ordered to leave on Thursday.
"Russia's action against [Gorman] was unprovoked and we consider this an escalatory step and are considering our response," a spokesperson for the State Department said in a statement.
"We call on Russia to end its baseless expulsions of U.S. diplomats and staff and to work productively to rebuild our missions. Now more than ever, it is critical that our countries have the necessary diplomatic personnel in place to facilitate communication between our governments.”
Meanwhile, the Pentagon said on Wednesday that three U.S. Navy planes experienced "unprofessional intercepts" by Russian aircraft over the Mediterranean.
According to The Hill, Navy Capt. Mike Kafka, director of Defense Press Operations, stated the intercepts occurred when three Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft were flying in international airspace over the Mediterranean.
Although no one was hurt, Kafka said, such an interaction ''could result in miscalculations and mistakes that lead to more dangerous outcomes.'
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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