Tensions between Russia and the UK have escalated, with a British diplomat given a week to leave Moscow. Adrian Coghill, Britain’s defence attache based at the embassy in Moscow, has been named persona non grata in response to “unfriendly anti-Russian actions” from the UK, according to a statement from the Russian foreign ministry. The move is seen as a reaction to the expulsion of the Russian defence attache from London on 8 May for alleged espionage as an “undeclared military intelligence officer”. Russia has warned that its response “does not end with this measure”.
Coincidentally, on X, the UK announced a crackdown on Russian espionage, which involved the removal of Col Maxim Elovik among a number of other measures. The Russian diplomat has been in the UK since at least 2014 and served as an assistant military attache at Russia’s embassy in Washington DC before his posting in London. The Home Office, Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence had announced plans to “tighten defences against alleged malign activity by Russia” across Europe. Five people were charged in April over conspiring to commit espionage activities in the UK on behalf of Russia under the National Security Act, the first prosecutions of this kind under the new laws.
Russian statecraft adheres closely to the principle of proportionality, which means there will likely be further constraints on British diplomats in Moscow as a result of the current escalation. Speaking on X, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps referred to the Russian expulsion of Coghill as a “desperate move”, and stated that Russia’s only issue with him was that he “personified the UK’s unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of his illegal and barbaric invasion”. The Foreign Office has been contacted for a response by the BBC. Home Secretary James Cleverly has said that Moscow would accuse the UK of “Russophobia” while creating “conspiracy theories and hysteria
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