Russia expelled a British diplomat working at its embassy in Moscow on Tuesday over allegations of espionage, marking the latest blow to worsening diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The Russian Foreign Ministry alleged that the British diplomat intentionally provided false information to enter the country as a way of covering up espionage work, thus violating Russian law.
Russian security authorities “identified signs that he was conducting intelligence and subversive work on the territory of our country,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry later revoked the diplomat’s diplomatic accreditation and ordered him to leave Russia within two weeks, state media TASS reported.
A British Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement: “This is not the first time Russia has made malicious and unfounded accusations against our staff. We will respond in due time.”
Russia’s FSB claimed the diplomat was sent to Moscow to “replace” one of six alleged British intelligence officers Russia expelled this summer.
In August, Russia revoked the diplomats’ accreditation, also over allegations of espionage. At the time, Britain described the accusations as “completely unfounded”.
Also on Tuesday, Russia banned 30 British citizens from entering the country, in response to “incessant aggressive anti-Russian rhetoric from UK authorities”, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The list named several UK government ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, as well as journalists from British newspapers including The Times and The Daily Mail.
“In response to the hostile actions of the British side, a decision was made to include several representatives of the political establishment, the military bloc, high-tech companies and the British journalistic corps who demonstrated themselves in the anti-Russian camp, in the Russian “stop list”. ,” the Russian ministry said in a statement.
THE CNN has contacted the British Foreign Office for comment.
Relations between the UK and Russia are increasingly tense as Russia continues its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This content was originally published in Russia expels UK diplomat for alleged espionage at embassy on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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