Key Points
• Russian authorities order the departure of a British embassy staff member over espionage allegations
• Diplomat given two weeks to leave the country as bilateral relations remain strained
• Latest move follows a pattern of mutual expulsions linked to broader geopolitical tensions
ISLAMABAD: Russia has ordered a British diplomat to leave the country within two weeks, accusing the embassy staff member of covert intelligence activities, in the latest escalation of diplomatic tensions between Moscow and London amid ongoing geopolitical strains.
According to BBC, Russia’s Federal Security Service stated that the accreditation of an unnamed member of the United Kingdom’s diplomatic mission in Moscow has been revoked and that the diplomat has been given two weeks to depart. The expulsion is based on claims that the diplomat was operating on behalf of British intelligence, allegations that were not accompanied by publicly disclosed evidence.
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the British charge d’affaires in Moscow to register a formal protest and to issue the expulsion notice, stating that it would not tolerate the activities of undeclared intelligence officers on Russian soil. Officials also warned that if London were to escalate the situation with reciprocal actions, Moscow would deliver a “decisive response” of its own.
These developments come amid a longer history of diplomatic friction between the two countries, which has seen periodic expulsions of diplomatic staff on both sides since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In March last year, Moscow expelled two British diplomats under similar accusations, a decision that drew condemnation from London at the time.
The British government had not immediately issued a response to the latest expulsion by the time of initial reports, leaving open the question of whether London will take reciprocal measures. Analysts say the incident adds another chapter to the complex and often tense relationship between Moscow and Western capitals.
