© Sputnik/ Iliya Pitalev
"The provision is by September first they should fit into the limit - not more than 455 people," she source said. "How they will do it is their concern."
The US embassy in Russia did not tell TASS how many diplomats are in Russia or, thus, how many will have to leave the country.
The source irrelevant the question about how many staff members are at the US diplomatic missions permanently in Russia as this figure is changing. Among the staff members, the source said, there are many employed citizens of the Russian Federation, some represent various US authorities who come to Russia for certain terms - not for long, but neither for short (a few days) trips.
Moscow has proposed to cut the number of diplomatic and technical staff working in the US Embassy to Moscow and the Consulates General in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok to the exact number of Russian diplomats and technical staff members working in the US before September 1. "That means that the total number of the staff engaged in US diplomatic and consular establishments will be reduced to 455 people," the Russian Foreign Ministry explained.
"In the event of new unilateral steps by the US authorities to reduce the number of our diplomats in the US, a tit-for-tat response will follow," the ministry's statement said.
Comment: Even when the Russians retaliate, they're cleverer than the Americans. Not only does this "retaliation" come across as fair ("you can have as many as we have"), it forces U.S. officials to be the ones to actually choose who gets fired! U.S. politicians have been massively triggered by this, but they should keep in mind that Obama's decision to seize the Russian diplomatic building last year was a violation of international law. They have no good reason for sore feelings. See: