Britain’s reaction to the expulsion of its diplomats from Russia

According to Isna, the Russian Federal Security Service known as the FSB announced on Thursday that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has terminated the credentials of six employees of the British Embassy in Moscow’s political department. Russia’s Federal Security Service said in a statement that the move was in response to London’s “numerous unfriendly actions” and after discovering “signs of espionage and sabotage.”

In response to these developments, the spokesperson of the British Foreign Ministry said today (Friday): “Today’s accusations by the FSB against our employees are completely baseless.”

The statement continued: “Russian authorities revoked the diplomatic credentials of six British diplomats in Russia last month.” This followed actions by the British government in response to Russian government activities across Europe and the UK. “We do not apologize for protecting our national interests.”

According to the Press Association report, these six diplomats left Russia weeks ago and have now been replaced.

On the other hand, “Maria Zakharova”, the spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that six British diplomats “carried out acts of sabotage with the aim of harming our people.”

He said: “We completely agree with the assessments made by the Russian FSB about the activities of the so-called British diplomats. “The British Embassy has gone far beyond the limits specified in the Vienna Conventions.”

According to Russian state television, the six diplomats met with independent media and human rights groups that Russian authorities have labeled as “foreign agents.”

Prior to these developments, a number of Russian diplomats left the country after the British government took various measures against the country’s embassy in London in May. Britain ordered Russia’s defense attache in London out and labeled him a “spy”. Moscow then expelled a Royal Navy officer stationed at the British Embassy in Moscow and gave him a week to leave the country.

Britain also revoked the diplomatic status of two Russian-owned properties in the UK believed to be used for intelligence purposes and imposed new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas.

This News comes as British Prime Minister Kerr Starmer meets US President Joe Biden in Washington and is expected to discuss Ukraine’s request to lift restrictions on the use of Western weapons against targets on Russian soil. The concern about the escalation of the conflict is one of the reasons why this permission has not yet been granted to Kyiv. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of the consequences of any use of Western weapons in an attack on his country’s territory.

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