Britain EXPELS Putin’s diplomat in revenge move after UK dignitary removed from Moscow
The UK government has revoked the accreditation of a Russian diplomat in a retaliatory move following Moscow’s expulsion of a British official last year.
The action comes in direct response to Russia’s decision to strip a British diplomat of their accreditation in November.
The Foreign Office summoned Russian ambassador Andrei Kelin to inform him of the decision, warning that any further action by Moscow would be considered an escalation.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We have summoned the Russian ambassador for a meeting with a senior British official to revoke the accreditation of a Russian diplomat.
“This is in response to Russia’s unprovoked and baseless decision to strip the accreditation of a British diplomat in Moscow in November.”
The Foreign Office made clear its position on intimidation, stating: “The UK will not stand for intimidation of our staff in this way and so we are taking reciprocal action.”
The spokesman warned: “Any further action taken by Russia will be considered an escalation and responded to accordingly.”
In November, Russia expelled a British diplomat after accusing them of espionage activities.
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Russian security service FSB claimed the dignitary was involved in “reconnaissance and subversive work that threatens the security of the Russian Federation.”
The British official was ordered to leave Russia within two weeks, according to local reports.
The Foreign Office dismissed these allegations as unfounded.
Relations between the UK and Russia have faced increasing strain amid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The revocation of the official’s status marks the latest instance of the UK government’s willingness to publicly respond to Russian activities.
In a recent development last month, the British government disclosed that it had deployed a nuclear-powered attack submarine to warn off a Russian spy ship.
The vessel had been detected loitering near critical undersea infrastructure, prompting the UK’s defensive response.