A British diplomat has been expelled from Russia over allegations of espionage, with the country’s FSB security service accusing the diplomat of providing false information and undertaking sabotage activities. Footage showed the British ambassador’s car arriving at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, stated that the British ambassador had also been summoned to the ministry. The UK Foreign Office has so far declined to comment.
This latest incident takes place against a backdrop of UK-Russian tensions dating back to the latter country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Last week, the UK lifted restrictions on the use by Ukraine of British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to attack targets located within Russian territory. This followed the launch by the US of longer-range missiles at workers at Russian territory, moves that Russian President Vladimir Putin said lay behind Russia’s decision to launch a hypersonic missile into the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday.
The expulsion of diplomats has become increasingly common during the conflict. In August, one of six UK diplomats was expelled from the country on charges of espionage. In turn, earlier this year, British diplomat Capt Adrian Coghill was given seven days to leave Russia, with a Russian defence attache expelled from London for his alleged activities as an “undeclared military intelligence officer”.
Both the UK and Russia are augmenting their military forces in the region amid heightened fears of a renewed conflict between the two nations. The UK has promised Ukraine £200m ($260m) in aid, while the EU has provided €1.2bn ($1.3bn) in emergency assistance in response to the crisis. Talks aimed at ending the conflict broke down last month
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