A British diplomat has been expelled from Russia after they were allegedly acting as a spy.
Moscow’s foreign ministry said in a statement this morning it had received information “regarding the affiliation of a diplomatic employee at the embassy with the British secret service”.
According to a translation of a post on its Telegram channel, the ministry said it had summoned British charge d’affaires Danae Dholakia to lodge a “strong protest” and inform her the diplomat was being expelled.
The diplomat has not been identified but must leave Russia within two weeks.
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The ministry said Moscow would not “tolerate the activities of undeclared British intelligence officers in Russia”.
It warned Russia would give a “decisive response” if London “escalates the situation”.
“It was again stressed that Moscow would not tolerate the activities of undeclared British intelligence officers in Russia,” the foreign ministry said.
“A warning was also issued that if London escalates the situation, the Russian side will give a decisive 'mirror' response.”
Russia confirmed this morning it had expelled the British diplomat
|REUTERS
Both Russia and the UK have periodically expelled each other’s diplomats from the country since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Most recently, Russia expelled a UK diplomat and the spouse of another in March last year, claiming the pair had been spies.
In response, the UK expelled a Russian diplomat, with then-foreign secretary David Lammy accusing Moscow of waging a “relentless and unacceptable campaign of intimidation” against British embassy staff.
The latest diplomat expulsion by Russia comes amid growing tensions between the country and Britain.
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Defence Secretary John Healey said last week disrupting Moscow's shadow operations was a 'priority'
|PA/PARLIAMENT TV
The Government has in recent weeks made growing references to the threats posed by Moscow, including by its shadow fleet.
Defence Secretary John Healey said last week disrupting Moscow's shadow operations was a “priority”, as British armed forces provided support to the US’s seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker.
He told MPs: “We know Russia operates a vast shadow fleet of its own to bankroll its illegal invasion of Ukraine, and last year, it’s estimated that Russia sold 100 billion dollars worth of sanctioned oil – money directly funding attacks on Ukrainian citizens, such as the onslaught during Christmas, involving 600 missiles and drones, which killed at least three people.
“We owe it to the Ukrainians to step up action on these shadow operations, and we are.
“This is why we are deterring, we are disrupting, we are degrading the Russian shadow fleet as a priority for this Government.”
GB News has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.
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