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Russia on Monday ordered a British diplomat to leave the country within two weeks over allegations of espionage, according to statements from the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Foreign Ministry.
The diplomat, identified by the FSB as 29-year-old embassy secretary Albertus Gerhardus Janse Van Rensburg, was accused of engaging in “subversive intelligence activities that threaten Russia's security.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the diplomat’s accreditation had been revoked after it was determined he was working for British intelligence and had provided false information when applying to enter the country.
In a statement, the ministry said Britain’s charge d’affaires in Moscow, Danae Dholakia, had been summoned and handed a protest note over the incident.
The FSB said the diplomat had conducted activities that posed a threat to Russia’s security, including attempts to obtain sensitive economic information during unofficial meetings with Russian experts.
Authorities said such actions violated Russian law and confirmed that the diplomat must leave the country within two weeks.
The Foreign Ministry warned that it would continue to act in line with Russia’s national security interests and cautioned that any escalation by London would be met with a response.
The British embassy did not immediately comment on the decision.
Moscow and London have expelled multiple embassy staff over the past decade, frequently exchanging accusations of espionage, with expulsions often followed by reciprocal measures.
Relations between the two countries remain strained, particularly amid the war in Ukraine and longstanding disputes linked to spying allegations.
In 2006, former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko was killed in London after being poisoned with polonium, in what British investigators said was a hit by Russian intelligence.
In 2018, the United Kingdom said Russian double agent Sergei Skripal was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, an incident that led to a large-scale expulsion of Russian diplomats accused of espionage.
The latest expulsion underscores ongoing tensions between Moscow and London over intelligence activities and diplomatic relations.
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