Moscow, Russia – Russia announced on November 26 that it has expelled a British diplomat, accusing him of espionage. The Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed that the diplomat, whose photos were published by Russian media, deliberately provided false information when entering Russia.
The FSB’s statement said that the diplomat was found to be conducting intelligence and subversive activities that posed a threat to Russia’s national security. The agency added that these actions were linked to espionage against Russia.
At the time of writing, the British Foreign Office and the British Embassy in Moscow have not responded to the expulsion notice.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had summoned the British ambassador for a meeting.
According to the FSB, the expelled diplomat was sent to Russia to replace one of six UK diplomats who were expelled earlier this year under similar espionage allegations.
Tensions Between Russia and the UK Escalate
The relationship between Russia and the United Kingdom has deteriorated significantly since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The UK has implemented several rounds of sanctions against Russia and has provided military aid to Ukraine.
Last week, Moscow claimed that Ukraine used British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles for the first time in an attack on Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin also stated that Ukraine had used American-made ATACMS missiles, claiming these weapons were the reason behind Russia’s missile strike on Ukraine with a new medium-range hypersonic missile on November 21.
