Russia expels British diplomat over espionage claims, reports say
British Broadcasting CorporationRussia has reportedly expelled a British diplomat after accusing him of espionage.
The TASS news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova as saying that the foreign ministry also summoned the British ambassador.
Video shows the British ambassador’s car parked at the Foreign Ministry in Moscow.
There was no immediate comment from the British Foreign Office or the British Embassy in Moscow.
The country’s Federal Security Service security service said the diplomat, whose photo appeared in a TV bulletin, provided false information in his documents and carried out espionage and sabotage, state news agencies reported.
It added that the diplomat was a replacement One of six British diplomats expelled in Augustalso involving espionage charges.
Relations between the UK and Russia have continued to deteriorate since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Last week it was reported that the UK had lifted for the first time restrictions on Ukraine’s use of UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to attack targets in Russia.
Expulsions of diplomats have become increasingly common since the war began.
Earlier this year, British diplomat Captain Adrian Coghill allowed to leave Russia within a weekDays earlier, the Russian defense attaché was expelled from London on suspicion of espionage as an “undeclared military intelligence officer.”
