Russia expels six British diplomats it accuses of spying as tensions escalate over Ukraine weapons
13 September 2024, 07:30 | Updated: 13 September 2024, 09:32
Russian security services have claimed that they had discovered six British diplomats in Moscow were spying and had revoked their accreditation.
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The FSB said that they had found signs of espionage in the work of the six diplomats, according to Russian news agency Interfax.
The six, who have been named individually, were in the British embassy in Moscow and work in the eastern Europe and central Asia directorate of the Foreign Office.
The FSB, the successor agency to the Soviet Union's notorious KGB, claimed that the six had been tasked with "the escalation of the political and military situation".
LBC has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.
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The FSB added in a statment: "Thus, 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.
"In this connection, on the basis of documents provided by the Federal Security Service of Russia and as a response to the numerous unfriendly steps taken by London, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, in co-operation with the agencies concerned, has terminated the accreditation of six members of the political department of the British Embassy in Moscow in whose actions signs of spying and sabotage were found."
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It comes as tensions between Russia and the UK escalate as Keir Starmer travels to the US to discuss the war in Ukraine with Joe Biden.
Kyiv has called for Western allies such as the UK and US to allow it to use long-range missiles within Russia.
Vladimir Putin warned the use of such missiles by Ukraine will be seen as an 'act of war' by Moscow but the PM said the UK does not "seek any conflict with Russia".
The Russian leader had told reporters the use of the UK-made missiles would "change the very nature of the conflict" on Thursday, before issuing a harsh warning to the Ukrainian president.
"It would mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia," he told state media.
