Russia has reportedly expelled the second-in-command at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow as tensions mount over the Ukraine crisis, according to the English-language Moscow Times newspaper.
Bart Gorman, the deputy chief of mission at the embassy, was ordered out of Russia, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency. Mr. Gorman is a career diplomat and was responsible for “managing key aspects of the U.S.-Russia relationship,” embassy officials said.
His expulsion comes as Russia continues to deploy more than 150,000 heavily armed troops along its border with Ukraine.
The U.S. has sent thousands of troops to the region to bolster nervous NATO allies like Poland and Romania. U.S. officials said they fear a Russian invasion could happen “within days.”
It wasn’t immediately clear if the U.S. has ordered the deputy chief of the Russian Embassy in Washington to leave in retaliation for Mr. Gorman’s expulsion.