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Six British diplomats have been expelled by the Russian Government, with the Federal Security Service (FSB) accusing them of espionage and participation in activities aimed at destabilizing the country, as per a statement released on Friday.
The FSB stated that the United Kingdom has been involved in increasing global tensions and destabilizing Russia’s internal situation.
In a statement, the FSB said it had obtained “documents confirming London’s coordination of the escalation of the international military-political situation.”
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The agency further accused the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate (EECAD) of spearheading “subversive policies” aimed at delivering a “strategic defeat” to Russia.
The FSB noted that after the start of the conflict in Ukraine, the EECAD transformed into an intelligence service working against Moscow, which led to the conclusion that British diplomats operating under its umbrella posed a “security threat.”
In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry, in collaboration with other departments, revoked the accreditation of six employees from the British Embassy’s political department in Moscow.
Officials stated that these diplomats had engaged in activities “showing signs of intelligence and subversive work” and demanded the early termination of their missions in Russia.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova supported the FSB’s assessment, telling TASS that British diplomats had been involved in “actions aimed at harming our people.”
The British government has yet to respond to the allegations.
The Russian Foreign Ministry, working with other departments, canceled the accreditation of six staff members from the political division of the British Embassy in Moscow as a response.
In February, the FSB alleged that the British Council, a British cultural institution, was gathering intelligence for Ukraine by utilizing refugees in the UK to acquire military and political information from contacts in Russia’s Kherson Region.