New move further "cools" Russia-UK relations, Moscow declares this is "retaliation" against London

The Russian Foreign Ministry has revoked the diplomatic credentials of six British diplomats over suspicions of espionage and Moscow's "security threat".

British Embassy in Moscow, Russia. (Source: Wikidata)

On September 13, TASS news agency quoted a statement from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) saying that the six diplomats belonged to the Political Department of the British Embassy in Moscow and that the decision was "in response to many hostile actions by London".

While accusing these diplomats of carrying out "sabotage and intelligence gathering activities", the FSB asserted that there was evidence confirming London's "coordination in escalating political and military tensions in the region".

The agency accused the British Foreign Office's Eastern Europe and Central Asia Department of coordinating moves aimed at inflicting "strategic defeat" on Russia.

TASS quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that the ministry fully agrees with the "FSB assessment", emphasizing: "The British Embassy has violated most of the limits set by the Vienna Convention".

The move comes as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is on his way to the US for talks with host President Joe Biden, including a request from Ukraine to use Western-supplied weapons to attack deep inside Russian territory.

On his way to the US, Mr Starmer said that Britain was training the Ukrainian army but "we are not looking for any conflict with Russia because that is not London's intention", while asserting that "Mosow can immediately end" the current war.

The British Embassy in Moscow and the Foreign Office were not immediately available for comment. In May, Britain expelled Russia's defense attaché in London, accusing him of being an undercover intelligence officer, and closed several Moscow diplomatic facilities it said were being used for spying purposes.

The expulsion of diplomats – both Western diplomats working in Russia and Russian diplomats working in Western countries – has become increasingly common since Moscow launched a special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.

Last year, RBC reported that Western countries and Japan expelled a total of 670 Russian diplomats between the beginning of 2022 and October 2023, while Moscow expelled 346 diplomats in response. According to RBC , this number is more than the total of the previous 20 years combined.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dong-thai-moi-lam-lanh-them-quan-he-nga-anh-moscow-tuyen-bo-day-la-don-dap-tra-london-286150.html