Russia expels six British diplomats accused of ‘spying and sabotage’

Six British diplomats have been expelled from Russia after the FSB security service claimed it had uncovered evidence the envoys were engaged in spying and sabotage work. Britain’s embassy in Moscow did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but it is understood the diplomats – from the British Embassy’s political department – left Russia early in September. Russian state-run TV channel Zvezda – owned by the Defence Ministry – showed footage of the diplomats leaving Moscow, and directly alleged that they were ‘spies’. ‘British embassy staff expelled from Russia turned out to be spies,’ said the channel. ‘Our special services found signs of intelligence and subversive work.’

The FSB, the main successor agency to the Soviet KGB, said it had documents showing that a British foreign office department in London responsible for Eastern Europe and Central Asia was coordinating what it called ‘the escalation of the political and military situation’ and was tasked with ensuring Russia’s strategic defeat in its war against Ukraine. ‘In this connection… the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia has terminated the accreditation of six members of the political department of the British Embassy in Moscow in whose actions signs of spying and sabotage were found,’ it said.

The timing of the announcement comes as Britain is seen as leading Western efforts to allow Ukraine to deploy long range missiles on targets deep inside Russia, starting with UK Storm Shadow missiles. Sir Keir Starmer is set to discuss this prospect with US President Joe Biden later today. ‘The English did not take our hints about the need to stop this practice (of carrying out intelligence activities inside Russia), so we decided to expel these six to begin with,’ an FSB employee told the Rossiya-24 state TV channel. The FSB said Russia would ask other British diplomats to go home early if they were found to be engaged in similar activity.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was cited by the state TASS news agency as saying the activities of the British embassy in Moscow had gone well beyond diplomatic convention and accusing it of carrying out deliberate activity designed to harm the Russian people. TV Zvezda said: ‘Intelligence officers are always working in the embassy of any country, and this is standard diplomatic practice. ‘The other thing is that now – when global security is under threat – instead of building a dialogue with Russia, the embassy in Moscow, and in a broader sense the Foreign Office itself, has turned into a branch of British intelligence.’ The TV station added: ‘The FSB does not rule out that the withdrawal of accreditation from six British diplomats is only the first step. The agency says it will continue to consider the embassy staff in Moscow as involved in the activities of British intelligence.’

Russian broadcaster RT ran a video in which an anonymous security source said: ‘London sends us spies disguised as diplomats’ spouses. Young children are used to cover up espionage activities. In short, there’s no question of diplomatic etiquette anymore. Yes, this is classic British espionage. While it is amusing to observe, it is no longer tolerable. Our hints about stopping this practice are not taken seriously by the English. So we’ve decided to start by expelling these six. If British intelligence services do not come to their senses, and we once again observe similar operational actions by British Embassy staff in Moscow, they will be immediately and forcibly expelled from our Motherland, with a long-term entry ban to follow.’

The expulsions come at a time when the British Embassy in Moscow – headed by ambassador Nigel Casey (pictured)- already has the lowest number of diplomats in Moscow for many decades. Meanwhile, as the British Prime Minister travelled to Washington last night to speak with Biden, Vladimir Putin warned that allowing Ukraine to strike targets in Russia with Western missiles would be seen as an act of war. ‘This is their direct participation, and this already, of course, significantly changes the very essence, the very nature of the conflict,’ he said.

‘It will mean that NATO countries, the United States, European countries are at war with Russia. ‘And if this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the very essence of the conflict, we will make the appropriate decision based on the threats that will be posed to us.’ There is no word yet on whether Zelensky will succeed in securing that which he really covets – a green light from the White House and Downing Street to begin launching Western-supplied long-range missiles at targets on Russian soil.

If Ukraine’s Western allies lift the ban, Kyiv’s soldiers will soon be able to strike Russian military assets as deep as 300km (190 miles) inside Russia with the likes of the US ATACMS and Anglo-French Storm Shadow missiles – a capability that could significantly impact the course of the conflict. The Institute for the Study of War, a US think-tank, last month established a list of nearly 250 high value military and paramilitary targets within range of the weapons that could be demolished by Ukraine. Among the main targets laid out by the ISW include as many as 16 Russian air bases, a slew of brigade and division headquarters, artillery and missile units central to Russia’s air defence capabilities, and a variety of logistics hubs supplying Vladimir Putin’s units on the frontlines.

Targeting these sites could cripple Russian logistics, command, and combat support, significantly reducing Moscow’s offensive capabilities in occupied Ukrainian territory​ – even if Putin’s troops redeploy most strategic bombing aircraft further east. Ukraine has already authored several attacks deep into Russia, including on targets in the capital Moscow, a number of oil refineries and ammunition dumps. But those strikes have been conducted by kamikaze drones which are considerably limited in their scale and are highly susceptible to Russian jamming and air defence systems.

Ukraine’s Western allies recently delivered the first tranche of F-16 fighter jets, but these aircraft remain subject to restrictions and can only be used in a limited capacity, for example, to conduct air defence missions or support operations on Ukrainian soil. Zelensky has been pleading with Kyiv’s allies for months to take their support a step further by letting Ukraine fire Western missiles, including long-range US ATACMS and British Storm Shadows, deep into Russian territory to limit Moscow’s ability to launch attacks across the border. Those weapons have already been used to great effect in Russian-occupied Ukraine and in Crimea. But Kyiv is yet to have delivered strikes across the Russian border with Western-supplied long-range weaponry. Downing Street and the White House have thus far been reluctant to authorise such strikes amid fears such a move could provoke Russia towards a direct conflict with the West.

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