The United Kingdom has fiercely condemned what it calls “malicious and baseless accusations” following an announcement by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) that it had identified British diplomats engaging in intelligence and subversive activities. The FSB alleged the diplomats provided false information to gain entrance to Russia and ordered them to leave the country within two weeks. This incident is the most recent in a series of retaliatory diplomatic expulsions over espionage claims.
Diplomatic relations between Russia and the UK have been deteriorating, especially in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In a similar vein of charges, a London court recently convicted three Bulgarian nationals of “industrial-scale” spying for Russia. Meanwhile, a Russian court sentenced a British man to 19 years in prison for fighting in Ukraine.
In response to these developments, the UK has vowed to reciprocate against Russian diplomats, and previously, in February, it announced the revocation of the accreditation of a Russian diplomat in response to a similar move by Russia in November of the previous year.
The FSB’s statement did not reveal the identities of the two diplomats accused, referring to them as the British embassy’s second secretary and the husband of the first secretary, stating they entered the country “under the cover of the national embassy.” Additionally, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned a British embassy representative to address the allegations.
The UK Foreign Office spokesperson vehemently dismissed Russia’s accusations, stating that such unfounded claims against their staff are not new. The history of intelligence and poisoning scandals has long strained relations between the UK and Russia. The 2006 assassination of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko and the 2018 poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal with the nerve agent Novichok are notable examples. Russia continues to deny any involvement in these incidents.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/10/russia-expels-two-british-diplomats-for-alleged-spying?traffic_source=rss
