Russia Expels British Diplomat Over Espionage Allegations
“The individual’s accreditation is being revoked. He is required to leave the Russian Federation within two weeks,” the ministry said.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Russia said on Thursday it had expelled a United Kingdom diplomat, accusing him of operating as an undercover intelligence officer, in the latest escalation of strained relations between Moscow and London.
In a statement, on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Britain’s chargé d’affaires in Moscow to lodge a “strong protest” after what it described as information obtained by Russia’s competent authorities showed that one of the British Embassy’s diplomatic staff members was linked to the UK’s intelligence services.
“The individual’s accreditation is being revoked. He is required to leave the Russian Federation within two weeks,” the ministry said.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor agency to the Soviet-era KGB, separately said it had identified the diplomat as a British spy working undercover. The FSB named the individual and accused him of engaging in intelligence activities incompatible with his diplomatic status.
The Foreign Ministry said Moscow had again made clear to British officials that it would not tolerate the presence or activities of “undeclared British intelligence officers” on Russian territory.
It also warned that any further steps by London to escalate the situation would be met with a “decisive mirror response,” signaling the possibility of reciprocal expulsions.
The expulsion comes against the backdrop of long-running diplomatic friction between Russia and the United Kingdom, which has intensified since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
London has been among Kyiv’s strongest supporters, providing military aid, intelligence assistance, and diplomatic backing, while also pushing for tougher sanctions on Moscow.
Espionage accusations and tit-for-tat expulsions have become a recurring feature of relations between Russia and Western countries in recent years. Both Moscow and London have repeatedly accused each other of hostile intelligence activities, often responding by expelling diplomats alleged to be working under cover for spy agencies.
In 2018, ties between the two countries plunged to a post–Cold War low after the poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury, an attack Britain blamed on Moscow.
Russia denied involvement, and the incident triggered mass diplomatic expulsions on both sides, as well as coordinated action by several Western allies.
More recently, Russia has accused Western embassies of using diplomatic cover to conduct intelligence operations, while the UK and its allies have alleged that Moscow has intensified espionage, cyber operations, and influence campaigns across Europe.
Britain has not yet publicly commented on Thursday’s expulsion. However, past cases suggest London may respond in kind, raising the likelihood of further diplomatic retaliation as relations between the two countries remain tense and confrontational.