RUSSIA EXPELS BRITISH DIPLOMATS OVER ALLEGATIONS OF ESPIONAGE AND SABOTAGE

Fri 13 September 2024:

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has announced the revocation of accreditation for six British diplomats stationed in Moscow, accusing them of activities associated with espionage and sabotage. The FSB cited evidence of these diplomats participating in actions that threaten Russia’s national security.

Britain’s embassy in Moscow has not yet commented on the situation.

According to the FSB, it holds documents showing that a specific department within the British Foreign Office in London, responsible for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, was coordinating efforts aimed at escalating both political and military tensions. The FSB alleged that these diplomats had been assigned the task of ensuring Russia’s strategic defeat in its ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

Russia expels six British ‘diplomats’ spying out of Moscow Embassy

Documents obtained by the FSB show that British intelligence officers operated covertly out of the embassy in Moscow, some of them working within the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate, a department..1/3 pic.twitter.com/7lVFsOOGrc

— Stoikiy muzhik (@standingman_) September 13, 2024

Diplomatic Relations Strained

“The facts revealed give grounds to consider the activities of British diplomats sent to Moscow by the directorate as threatening the security of the Russian Federation,” stated the FSB. As a result, the Russian Foreign Ministry, in coordination with other agencies, moved to terminate the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow. Russian state television even broadcast their names and photographs.

An FSB official, speaking to the Rossiya-24 state TV channel, remarked, “The English did not take our hints about the need to stop this practice [of espionage within Russia], so we decided to expel these six to begin with.”

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Warning of Further Expulsions

The FSB has made it clear that if further British diplomats are caught engaging in similar activities, they too will be asked to leave Russia prematurely.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, quoted by the state-run TASS news agency, accused the UK embassy of going beyond diplomatic conventions. She asserted that the embassy’s activities were intentionally designed to harm the Russian populace.

UK’s Response: Allegations “Baseless”

In response, the UK government firmly denied the accusations, stating that the claims were “completely baseless.” A UK government representative explained, “The Russian authorities revoked the diplomatic accreditation of six UK diplomats in Russia last month, following action taken by the UK government in response to Russian state-directed activity across Europe and in the UK. We are unapologetic about protecting our national interests.”

Tension Continues

The diplomatic row underscores growing tensions between Russia and the UK, with the two nations at odds over various issues, particularly Russia’s military operations in Ukraine. As both sides hold their positions firm, further diplomatic fallout remains possible.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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