Russia has accused six British diplomats of spying and announced its decision to expel them. The UK dismissed the claims as “completely baseless”, linking the action to its own decision in May to revoke the credentials of a Russian attaché, and limit Moscow’s diplomatic activities in London. The accusations come amid rising tensions between the two countries, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visiting Washington to discuss Ukraine’s request to use Western-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia claimed that the six British diplomats were involved in intelligence-gathering and subversive activities. They allegedly met with independent media and rights groups declared as “foreign agents” by Russian authorities, which have actively used the label against organizations and individuals critical of the Kremlin. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova agreed with the FSB’s assessment, accusing the British diplomats of carrying out subversive actions aimed at causing harm to Russian people.
The UK Foreign Office rejected Russia’s allegations, stating that the expulsions happened weeks ago and were connected to Britain’s decision in May to revoke the credentials of an attaché at the Russian Embassy in London and impose a five-year time limit on all Russian diplomats in the UK. In 2022, Russia reciprocated by expelling the UK’s defense attaché.
Expulsions of diplomats have become more common since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. According to RBC, Western countries and Japan expelled a total of 670 Russian diplomats between the start of 2022 and October 2023, while Moscow responded by expelling 346 diplomats.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized that his country does not “seek any conflict with Russia.” He acknowledged that Ukraine has the right to self-defense but stated that the UK does not intend to engage in any conflict with Russia. On his visit to Washington, Starmer discussed the possibility of using some Western-provided weapons to strike deeper into Russia. However, it appears unlikely that President Joe Biden and Starmer would announce any policy changes regarding the matter during their talks.