Russia Expels British Diplomat Over Alleged Espionage
Russia expelled a British diplomat from its embassy in Moscow on Tuesday, accusing him of espionage. This action adds to the growing tension between the two countries.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed that the diplomat entered the country under false pretenses, providing misleading information as a cover for espionage activities. The FSB stated that the diplomat’s actions violated Russian law and posed a threat to national security, as reported by state media TASS.
Following this, Russia’s Foreign Ministry revoked the diplomat’s accreditation and ordered him to leave the country within two weeks.
The FSB also suggested that the diplomat was sent to Moscow to replace one of six British intelligence officers expelled by Russia earlier this year in August. At that time, Russia had accused the diplomats of espionage, but the UK dismissed the allegations as unfounded.
Diplomatic relations between the UK and Russia have been deteriorating, particularly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The UK has supported Ukraine with military and economic aid and joined Western nations in imposing heavy sanctions on Russia.
Just last week, Ukraine used British-French-made Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets inside Russia, followed by a U.S.-made ATACMS missile attack. These actions led to strong condemnation from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who stated that Russia’s recent missile tests were in response to the West’s “reckless” decisions to supply Ukraine with weapons.
Meanwhile, Russia continued its offensive against Ukraine, launching a record 188 drone attacks overnight, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. In addition, Russia fired four Iskander-M ballistic missiles, causing significant damage to infrastructure in the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil, which resulted in power outages. In the Kyiv region, air defense systems intercepted some of the attacks, but several residential buildings were damaged by falling drones.
