By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Russia has withdrawn the recognition licenses of two British diplomats over alleged intelligence activities, the Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Monday, an allegation that UK dismissed as “baseless.”
This is the latest in a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic relations between both countries linked with Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The men “intentionally provided false information” when they received permission to enter Russia, which violated Russian law, and the service discovered “signs of carrying out intelligence and subversive work by the said diplomats that threatens the security of the Russian Federation,” FSB said in a statement on Monday.
The two diplomats have been given two weeks to leave Russia.
On Monday, Russian Foreign Ministry summoned a representative of the British embassy. “A warning was also made that if London escalates the situation, the Russian side will give a decisive ‘mirror’ response,” the Russian ministry’s statement said.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 further poisoned relations between Moscow and London that have been trading diplomatic barbs for years.
In response, UK Foreign Office accused Moscow of making malicious and baseless accusations. “This is not the first time that Russia has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff.”
In 2024, Russia expelled several British diplomats. In September it sent six home, accusing them of spying. Also in November it expelled another diplomat after it “identified signs of his conducting intelligence and subversive work.”
Russia had last year alleged that since its invasion of Kyiv, Britain’s Foreign Office in Moscow has transformed into a body whose “main task is to inflict a strategic defeat on our country.”
It also banned hundreds of British political and media figures from entering the country.
After a shouting match between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his US counterpart, Donald Trump at the Oval Office in Washington recently, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was first among world leaders to welcome Zelensky, pledging his country’s support in the three-year war.
Following the freezing of military aid for Ukraine by Washington, EU leaders have pledged to support Kyiv.
