Russia expels UK diplomat over spying allegations
Russia announced that it would be sending a British diplomat home over accusations of espionage, following heightened tensions between London and Moscow. This escalation comes in the wake of Ukraine utilizing British weapons to carry out attacks further into Russian territory.
On Tuesday, the FSB, Russia's internal intelligence service, revealed that it had taken action based on documents that allege a British diplomat was involved in "surveillance and disruptive activities that pose a threat to national security."
The FSB alleged that the British diplomat “deliberately submitted misleading information when seeking entry into Russia, thus breaking Russian law.” According to Russian news sources, the diplomat has been ordered to leave the country within two weeks.
The FSB reported that the British diplomat, whose image was prominently featured in Russian television news, was sent to take the place of one of the six UK diplomats who were expelled in August due to similar allegations of spying. In response, the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) stated that these accusations were unfounded.
The Russian foreign ministry announced that it had called in Nigel Casey, the British ambassador in Moscow. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) did not immediately respond.
Last week, the relationship between Britain and Russia hit a new low when Britain decided to let Ukraine use Storm Shadow missiles against targets within Russia. This decision followed just days after US President Joe Biden gave his approval for Ukraine to use the comparable long-range Atacms missiles.
The choice to authorize the attacks was prompted by the movement of over 10,000 North Korean soldiers to the border between Russia and Ukraine. Officials from the UK and the US cautioned that this marked a major intensification of the nearly three-year-long conflict.
Kyiv has since launched Storm Shadow missiles at a command center located in the village of Maryno, situated in the Kursk area. On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that the UK had delivered additional shipments of these missiles to Ukraine a few weeks prior.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated the tense situation with the West by test-firing a ballistic missile at a military site in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. He further declared that Moscow had the authority to target Western nations that supplied arms to Ukraine, which are then used against Russian forces.
Since Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK and Russia have taken turns expelling diplomats from each other's countries, highlighting their deteriorating relationship. In May, the UK kicked out a high-ranking Russian defense official, claiming that he was secretly acting as a military intelligence agent. In response, Russia requested that the British defense officer leave the country.
