Russia expels 6 British diplomats it accuses of spying. The UK calls it 'completely baseless'
Russia has accused six British diplomats of spying and decided to expel them
Russia on Friday accused six British diplomats of spying and said it decided to expel them. The U.K. said the “completely baseless” move came weeks ago and was linked to its action in May to revoke the credentials of an attaché at the Russian Embassy and limit Moscow’s diplomatic activities in London.
The latest East-West tensions unfolded as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Washington for talks that will include Ukraine’s request to use Western-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia. President Vladimir Putin has warned that Kyiv’s use of long-range weapons would put NATO at war with Moscow.
Russia’s Federal Security Service said in an online statement that the Foreign Ministry withdrew the British envoys' accreditations, and Russian TV quoted an FSB official as saying it was decided to expel them.
The FSB said it received documents indicating the diplomats were sent to Russia by a division of the U.K.'s Foreign Office “whose main task is to inflict a strategic defeat on our country,” and that they were involved in “intelligence-gathering and subversive activities.” It did not identify the six diplomats.
