Russia expels British diplomat over espionage allegations, Interfax says

Russia has expelled a British diplomat, accusing him of espionage and providing false information. The UK Foreign Office has not yet commented.

Russia has expelled a British diplomat, accusing him of espionage, according to the FSB security service. The diplomat, who had replaced one of six British officials expelled in August over similar charges, was said to have provided false information on his documents and engaged in espionage and sabotage activities.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, confirmed the expulsion and stated that the British ambassador had been summoned to explain the matter. However, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has not yet issued a comment, and the British embassy in Moscow did not respond to a request for further details.

Relations between the UK and Russia have reached their lowest point since the Cold War, particularly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The UK has supported Ukraine with both sanctions against Russia and military aid, including arms and equipment.

Tensions further escalated recently when Russia claimed that Ukraine had fired British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russian territory for the first time.

This prompted President Vladimir Putin to cite the missile attack, alongside Ukraine's use of U.S.-made ATACMS missiles, as the reason for launching a new hypersonic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on November 21.

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