Newsman: Russia has revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats and accused them of spying on Moscow after accusing them of spying and sabotage work.
Moscow’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed said on Friday that it had detected “signs of intelligence and subversive work” by the diplomats, and said it considered their actions “threatening the security of the Russian Federation.”
It accused British diplomats of working with Russian activists to try to create divisions within Russian society around different ethnic groups and migrants and said many of the people involved in coordinating Britain’s work on Ukraine based in London and Kyiv were working for the MI6 foreign intelligence service.
Russian state media later reported the identities of the six diplomats the country had expelled.
Russia’s expulsions announced came hours before talks in Washington between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Joe Bidenon on steps towards Ukraine winning the go ahead for Kyiv to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia.
Britain described the accusations as “completely baseless,” saying it was a tit-for-tat action after the UK expelled the Russian defense attaché and removed diplomatic status from several Russian properties in May.
Moscow’s Federal Security Service FSB said it had documents showing that a British foreign office department in London responsible for Eastern Europe and Central Asia was coordinating what it called “the escalation of the political and military situation” and was tasked with ensuring Russia’s strategic defeat in its war against Ukraine.
“The facts revealed give grounds to consider the activities of British diplomats sent to Moscow by the directorate as threatening the security of the Russian Federation,” the FSB said in a statement.
“On the basis of documents provided by the Federal Security Service of Russia and as a response to the numerous unfriendly steps taken by London, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, in co-operation with the agencies concerned, has terminated the accreditation of six members of the political department of the British Embassy in Moscow in whose actions signs of spying and sabotage were found,” it said.
Britain said Russian accusations against its diplomats were baseless.
“The Russian authorities revoked the diplomatic accreditation of six UK diplomats in Russia last month, following action taken by the UK government in response to Russian state directed activity across Europe and in the UK,” a British Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.
“We are unapologetic about protecting our national interests.”
