Russia has expelled a British diplomat after accusing him of secretly working as an intelligence operative under diplomatic cover at the UK embassy in Moscow.
According to Russia’s foreign ministry, the unnamed diplomat has had his accreditation revoked and has been given two weeks to leave the country. The ministry said it also summoned the UK’s chargé d’affaires, Danae Dholakia, to formally raise the issue.
In its statement, Moscow said it would not tolerate “undeclared British intelligence officers” operating within Russia and warned it could take additional measures if the UK responds by escalating the situation.
The British government has not yet commented on the accusations. The BBC said it had contacted the UK Foreign Office for a response.
Relations between London and Moscow have steadily deteriorated in recent years, particularly following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, both countries have repeatedly expelled each other’s diplomats.
In March last year, Russia expelled two British officials over similar spying allegations. At the time, the UK Foreign Office dismissed the claims as “malicious and baseless accusations” and responded by revoking the accreditation of a Russian diplomat and a diplomatic spouse.
The UK said then that it would “not stand for intimidation of British embassy staff and their families,” highlighting the increasingly strained diplomatic ties between the two nations.
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