Migrants crossing to Poland
Migrants crossing to PolandiStock

Poland intends to deport 45 Russian diplomats, some of whom are alleged to be working for Russia's secret service within the cover of diplomatic assignments.

A government spokesman said the Russian ambassador had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry and that decisions on further steps would be announced after the meeting.

Following the announcement, Russia threatened a "harsh" response of its own.

Newsweek reported on Monday that former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev threatened Polish authorities following the country's severing of economic ties with Russia.

Medvedev wrote that, "The interests of Polish citizens have been sacrificed due to Russophobia of 'mediocre politicians' and their 'puppeteers from across the ocean' with clear signs of senile insanity," in an apparent reference to President Biden.

After announcing the break with Russia, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his country would "deal with the de-Russification of the Polish and European economy," noting that food prices would drop as a result. The UN's had previously asserted that prices on food could increase by as much as 20% in lieu of the war in Ukraine.

Medvedev noted the Polish President's comment that the break with Russia "could be costly," saying that "[While it's absolutely and completely right that it is expensive and thoughtless...Everything that Poland could lose due to its long-term pathological Russophobia has already been lost."

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman conceded that Russia had yet to achieve its military goals in Ukraine and refused to deny reports that Moscow could resort to the use of nuclear weapons.

Speaking to CNN's Christiane Amanpour, the spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, repeatedly refused to rule out Russia's use of nuclear weapons against what Moscow perceived as an "existential threat."

While Peskov said Russia hadn't achieved its operational goals in Ukraine, he also claimed that the "special military operation" was "going on strictly in accordance with the plans and the purposes that were established beforehand."

Putin, himself, has previously hinted at using weapons of mass destruction against nations he viewed as a threat to his country. In February, the Russian President threatened to "...respond immediately [to outside threats with] consequences that you have never seen in your entire history."