Vladimir Putin expels two British diplomats as Russia accuses them of ‘spying’
Vladimir Putin has expelled two British diplomats amid Russian accusations of "spying".
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The two Britons were stripped of their accreditation over the weekend for what Russia called "an undeclared intelligence presence."
The pair were expelled from the British embassy in Moscow according to Russian state news agency TASS - a claim later confirmed by the Kremlin..
The two Britons are believed to be a 34-year-old man and a 32-year-old women.
A statement from the Federal Security Service on Monday said: "Russia has uncovered signs of intelligence and subversive work by these diplomats, threatening the security of the Russian Federation."
The diplomats have now been ordered to leave Russia within the next two weeks.
The duo's expulsion comes days after Trump threatened Vladimir Putin with 'large-scale' sanctions until a peace deal with Ukraine is reached.
It also follows Russia's targeting of Ukraine's energy infrastructure in a large-scale bombardment overnight, including with Iskander ballistic missiles.
Early on Monday the Kremlin said: "During counterintelligence work, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation has uncovered an undeclared intelligence presence of Great Britain under the cover of the national embassy in Moscow.
It added that the pair "were sent to Moscow, intentionally provided false information when receiving permission to enter our country, thereby violating Russian law.
It comes as a senior British diplomat was seen entering and leaving the Russian foreign ministry as he was informed of the serious accusations, according to The Sun.
The Kremlin continued: "At the same time, the FSB of Russia has uncovered signs of intelligence and subversive work by these diplomats, threatening the security of the Russian Federation.
"On the stated basis, the Russian Foreign Ministry, in cooperation with the interested departments, made a decision to deprive [the men] of their accreditation, and they were ordered to leave Russia within two weeks.
"The Russian FSB will continue to work to counteract the intelligence and subversive activities of foreign special services by all available methods."
The expulsions come just days after three Bulgarian nationals were found guilty for their involvement in one of the "largest and most complex" Russian spy operations to be uncovered on UK soil.
Branded the “killer sexy brunettes”, the two women in the group were said to have become entangled in a love triangle with a leading member of the cell of six Bulgarian spies in the UK.
Bulgarians Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, were found guilty at the Old Bailey of spying on an "industrial scale", putting lives and national security at risk.
They engaged in a series of surveillance and intelligence operations over three years on people targeted by Russia, including investigative journalists and a US military base in Germany.