Russia revokes accreditation of six British diplomats, accuses them of espionage, sabotage

In a move that has raised tensions between Russia and Britain, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Friday that it had revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow, accusing them of involvement in “subversive activities and intelligence gathering”.

The FSB claims to have “documentary” evidence confirming “Britain’s coordination of the escalation of the international political and military situation” in Ukraine.

Russian intelligence services accused the diplomats of seeking to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia, and that their actions were part of a broader Western effort to undermine Russian interests.

The British government quickly rejected the allegations as “completely baseless.”

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A statement from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stressed that the action was a retaliatory response to Western actions aimed at countering “Russian state-directed activity across Europe and in the UK.”

“We do not regret our decision to protect our national interests,” the statement said.

The six diplomats in question have left Russia and have been replaced, according to reports. The timing of the announcement is significant, as it comes just hours before a planned meeting between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden in Washington, DC, where the Ukraine war is expected to be a major topic of discussion.

The FSB, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB, has accused the British Foreign Office’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia department of coordinating moves aimed at undermining Russian interests.

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