Russia expels two British diplomats amid talks to restore relations with the US
Russia has accused two British diplomats of spying and given them two weeks to leave the country, Reuters reported on March 10, continuing a deterioration in diplomatic relations with Europe even as Moscow negotiates to restore ties with the United States.
There was no immediate response from the British embassy to a request for comment. The embassy has previously denied similar allegations against British diplomats in Moscow.
The two cases appear to be the first Western diplomats expelled from Russia since Moscow and Washington began talks on restoring staff at the US and Russian embassies, which were cut by tit-for-tat expulsions, as part of President Donald Trump's reconciliation policy with the Kremlin that has worried European allies, according to Reuters.
Similar expulsions have significantly reduced the activities of Russian embassies across the West as well as Western diplomatic missions in Russia since Moscow launched a special military operation in Ukraine in 2022.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said two British diplomats provided false information when applying for entry to Russia, and that the agency had "identified signs of intelligence and sabotage activities" that they carried out, harming Russia's security.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has summoned a representative of the British embassy in connection with the expulsions.
According to the same source, Britain's continued support for the Ukrainian military and recent statements by Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the possibility of deploying British soldiers and aircraft to Ukraine as part of a potential peacekeeping force have angered Moscow.
In February, Russian police opened a criminal investigation into allegations that a freelance journalist was assaulted by a man believed to be a British embassy employee. London has denied the allegations, calling it a “campaign of interference” aimed at intimidating legitimate diplomats.
The expulsion announcement came a day after Britain announced it was expelling a Russian diplomat in retaliation for Moscow's expulsion of a British diplomat last November.
Relations between Britain and Russia have plunged to their lowest point since the Cold War since the outbreak of the Ukraine war. Britain has joined successive rounds of sanctions against Russia and supplied arms to Ukraine.