This was reported by the American embassy. The embassy also noted that the diplomat had a valid visa and had been in Russia for less than three years.

"We can confirm that Russia expelled Bart Gorman, deputy head of the U.S. mission in Russia (DCM). Gorman was the second most important official at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow after the ambassador and a key member of the embassy's senior leadership," a State Department spokesman said.

In a comment to CNN, the U.S. State Department sees Russia's decision to expel the deputy ambassador as a step toward escalation.

"Russia's actions against our DCM were not provoked, and we see this as a step of escalation and are considering our response," the department spokesman said. - We call on Russia to stop the groundless expulsion of U.S. diplomats and staff and to work productively to restore our missions. It is more important than ever that our nations have adequate diplomatic personnel to facilitate communications between our governments.

As a reminder, U.S.-Russian relations have deteriorated in recent months following Russia's ultimatum demands for special "security guarantees" for Russia, as well as the accumulation of a significant military force around Ukraine's borders. Washington believes that Russia may invade.