Two individuals connected to the British embassy in Moscow have been instructed to leave Russia due to allegations of engaging in intelligence activities by Russian authorities. According to the Federal Security Service (FSB) and as reported by the Russian state news agency (TASS), these individuals are a second secretary of the British embassy and the spouse of another British diplomat. Russia claims that they falsely represented themselves upon entering the country and accuses them of intelligence and subversive activities. The FSB has stated that these activities pose a threat to national security. The Russian government shared a video showing an embassy representative being summoned to the foreign affairs ministry.

The British government has not yet commented on the matter. This expulsion is part of a series of reciprocal expulsions of diplomats between Russia and the UK. In November, Britain expelled a Russian diplomat in response to Russia’s expulsion of a British diplomat on similar grounds of providing false information and spying. The expulsion in November came after a criminal investigation, dubbed “Minions” by Russian media, uncovered extensive spying operations on UK soil, leading to the conviction of several individuals, including three Bulgarian nationals, for espionage.

After the Arab Spring uprisings, UK officials detected a Russian document modeling the Arab Spring rebound as ‘color revolutions,’ displaying the concept for Russia’s internal security agencies to spot early warning signs of disturbances. This was uncovered by WikiLeaks and reported by the Russian news media outlet Kommersant, creating a public stir in Russia that was considered significant.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/10/russia-orders-two-people-connected-to-british-embassy-to-leave-country