Russia says Britain has a duty to protect Russian diplomats in London, a response to British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's call for activists to protest Moscow's bombing campaign in Syria.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on October 12 that Johnson is probably "aware of the Vienna Convention and that Great Britain is duty-bound to take responsibility" for Russian diplomatic missions in Britain.
Johnson told Parliament the previous day that "if Russia continues on its current path, then I think that great country is in danger of becoming a pariah nation."
"I'd certainly like to see demonstrations outside the Russian Embassy," he said. The "wells of outrage are growing exhausted" and antiwar groups have not been expressing sufficient outrage at the conflict in Aleppo, he said.
Since taking office this summer, Johnson quickly became one of the leading advocates in Europe for putting pressure on Moscow over Syria, proposing to expand the sanctions already in place over Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Johnson's comments came on a day that saw an uptick in the Syrian and Russian bombing campaign of the rebel-held eastern part of Aleppo -- Syria's largest city -- after several days of relative calm.
PHOTO GALLERY: Aleppo Neighborhood Pounded By Air Strikes
Aleppo Neighborhood Pounded By Air Strikes
In Aleppo, activists and rescue workers said on October 12 that at least 25 people -- including five children -- were killed in the aerial attacks the previous day, the AP news agency reported.
Ibrahim al-Haj, of the Syrian Civil Defense group, said the search continues for survivors and bodies under a collapsed building in the Al-Fardus neighborhood.
At least 250,000 people have been killed in the Syrian civil war since 2011 with millions of others being displaced.