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Moscow will not tolerate the activities of undeclared British intelligence personnel on Russian territory, the Foreign Ministry has stated, advising UK citizens to provide accurate information when applying for a Russian visa.
Russia has revoked the accreditation of two UK diplomats for espionage, the Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Monday, saying it had identified “intelligence and subversive work that threatens Russia’s security,” that they carried out in Moscow.
The same day, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that “Russia has lodged a strong protest over newly uncovered cases of certain embassy staff deliberately providing false information when obtaining entry permits.” A representative of the British embassy was summoned, the statement added.
At the meeting, Moscow reaffirmed it “will not tolerate the presence of undeclared British intelligence personnel in Russia,” and that the country’s “uncompromising stance” on the matter will be shaped in accordance with its national security interests.
The FSB identified the two expelled persons as a second secretary of the British embassy and the spouse of another British diplomat. The agency said it uncovered “signs of espionage and sabotage work” by both of them.
The two were accused of deliberately providing false information when entering Russia and have been given two weeks to leave.
The announcement follows Britain’s recent expulsion of a Russian diplomat, a retaliatory move after Moscow expelled a British diplomat in November.
The FSB said the British diplomat kicked out in autumn was “conducting intelligence and subversive work” and also intentionally provided false information when entering Russia. The UK Foreign Office accused Moscow of making “malicious and baseless accusations against our staff.”
Relations between Moscow and London have deteriorated to Cold War lows since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The UK has been one of the staunchest of Kiev’s backers, slapping successive rounds of sanctions on Russia and providing military aid to Ukraine. The UK was the first Western nation to pledge main battle tanks to Ukraine and has supplied long-range missiles. Additionally, London has trained around 51,000 Ukrainian soldiers on British soil through Operation Interflex.
The latest diplomatic spat comes after recent offers by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to deploy British troops and aircraft to Ukraine as part of a potential peacekeeping mission. Moscow previously warned that any foreign troops in Ukraine without a UN mandate would be considered legitimate targets.
