Moscow has expelled a British diplomat, accusing him of espionage and falsifying documents, state news agency TASS reported. The announcement comes amidst heightened tensions between Russia and the United Kingdom, fueled by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, confirmed the expulsion and stated that the British ambassador had been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow. Footage aired by Russian media showed the ambassador’s vehicle arriving at the ministry, although no official statement from the UK Foreign Office has been made as of yet.
According to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the expelled diplomat, whose identity has not been disclosed, was allegedly engaged in espionage and sabotage activities. Russian state television broadcast the diplomat’s photo, claiming that he replaced one of six UK diplomats expelled in August for similar charges.
The move is the latest in a series of tit-for-tat expulsions between Moscow and London. Earlier this year, British military attaché Capt. Adrian Coghill was ordered to leave Russia shortly after a Russian defense attaché was expelled from London under allegations of being an “undeclared military intelligence officer.”
Relations between the UK and Russia have steadily deteriorated since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Last week, the UK lifted restrictions on Ukraine’s use of British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, permitting strikes on targets inside Russian territory for the first time. This decision, along with Ukraine’s use of US-provided long-range missiles, prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to justify a recent hypersonic missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
The exchange of diplomatic expulsions reflects the broader geopolitical clash, with accusations of espionage becoming a regular feature of the UK-Russia relationship. The expulsions highlight deepening mistrust and the escalating fallout from the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The UK has consistently supported Ukraine militarily and diplomatically, a stance that Russia has condemned as direct involvement in the conflict. Analysts suggest that these expulsions are symbolic of the Cold War-era tactics resurfacing amid rising global tensions.
As of now, the UK Foreign Office has declined to provide further comment. Whether this latest expulsion will lead to another countermeasure from London remains to be seen, but it underscores the fragile state of international diplomacy in an increasingly polarized world.
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