Russia has ordered a British diplomat to leave the country amid allegations of spying, marking the latest development in ongoing diplomatic tensions between Moscow and London.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed the diplomat provided false information when applying to enter Russia and attempted to obtain sensitive information during informal economic meetings, according to Russian state media. The diplomat’s accreditation has been revoked, and they have been given two weeks to depart the country.
A UK Foreign Office spokesman dismissed the accusations as “complete nonsense,” calling Russia’s actions part of an “aggressive and co-ordinated campaign of harassment against British diplomats.” The statement added that Russia has been “pumping out malicious and completely baseless accusations about their work” and reaffirmed that the UK would not tolerate intimidation of its embassy staff or their families.
The FSB said signs of intelligence activities were detected and that the diplomat “intentionally provided false information” when obtaining a permit to enter Russia, according to the state news agency Tass. The individual’s name has also been published in Russian state media.
Following the expulsion, the UK’s charge d’affaires, Danae Dholakia, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, leaving without comment.
This incident is the latest in a series of tit-for-tat expulsions between the two countries, which have escalated since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Earlier this year, Russia expelled a British diplomat over similar spying allegations, and in March 2025, two British officials were expelled. The UK responded by revoking accreditation for a Russian diplomat and a diplomatic spouse, stating it would not tolerate intimidation against its personnel.
The ongoing cycle of expulsions underscores the deterioration of UK-Russia relations and highlights the growing challenges facing diplomatic engagement between the two nations
Melissa Enoch
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