Russia has expelled six British diplomats, accusing them of espionage and sabotage as tensions over Ukraine’s missile capabilities rise. According to Reuters, Russia’s FSB security service announced the revocation of the diplomats’ accreditations on Friday, stating that Britain played a significant role in escalating the political and military situation in Ukraine.
The expulsion comes just hours before scheduled talks in Washington between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Joe Biden. The discussions are expected to focus on the potential use of Western missiles to target Russian locations, a scenario President Vladimir Putin has warned would significantly escalate the conflict.
According to the FSB, documents reveal that a department within the British Foreign Office, responsible for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, has been involved in what it calls “the escalation of the political and military situation” against Russia. The agency claims these diplomats were engaged in activities threatening Russian national security.
“The evidence we have indicates that the British diplomats’ actions in Moscow pose a security threat to the Russian Federation,” the FSB stated. It further detailed that the expulsion was a response to what it described as a pattern of unfriendly actions by London. The FSB has also implied that additional British diplomats could be expelled if similar activities are detected.
The six diplomats were publicly named on Russian state TV, with surveillance footage showing their alleged covert meetings. An FSB spokesperson suggested that these measures were a preliminary step, with further expulsions possible if other diplomats were found to be involved in similar activities.
Russian media reports, citing the FSB, allege that the British diplomats were involved in recruiting Russian teenagers, organizing provocations, and meeting with opposition figures in Moscow. They are also accused of attempting to create divisions within Russian society through their interactions with ethnic groups and migrants.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, criticized the British embassy’s actions as exceeding the bounds of diplomatic norms outlined in the Vienna Convention. She characterized these activities as subversive and damaging to Russian interests.
This expulsion further strains the already tense relationship between Russia and the West, highlighting the fragile nature of international diplomacy amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
