The United Kingdom expelled a Russian diplomat in a retaliatory move that followed Russia’s earlier expulsion of a British official and what Britain described as a smear campaign, the U.K. government said Wednesday.
The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it summoned the Russian ambassador to its offices in London to inform him of the “reciprocal action.” The Foreign Office said: “This behavior is wholly unacceptable, and we will not tolerate harassment or intimidation of our diplomatic staff,’’ according to the statement cited by the Associated Press.
Britain’s action came after Russia expelled a British diplomat last month over spying allegations the U.K. rejected as “complete nonsense.” The Foreign Office said the latest tit-for-tat measures reflected spiraling tensions between Moscow and Western governments.
Russia’s Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, said the British diplomat had sought to gather “sensitive information” about the Russian economy in “unofficial meetings” with Russian experts. The FSB said the British diplomat was ordered to leave Russia within two weeks.
Mutual expulsions of diplomats have become a recurring feature of strained relations between Russia and NATO member states since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, sending diplomatic ties to their lowest ebb since the Cold War, the AP report said.
In the latest exchange, Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was acting in response to Russia’s prior expulsion and the follow-on campaign Britain described as a smear effort. The U.K. did not provide additional detail in the AP account beyond the “reciprocal action” message delivered to the Russian ambassador in London.