Russia has accused six British diplomats of spying and said their accreditation would be withdrawn, leading inevitably to them being expelled from the country.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) posted a message on its website saying it had received documents indicating the six had been sent to Russia by a division of the British Foreign Office, a reference to MI6.
The FSB said the six were involved in, “intelligence-gathering and subversive activities” and claimed MI6’s “main task is to inflict a strategic defeat on our country.”
‘Signs Of Spying And Sabotage’
The FSB statement said the decision had been taken because of, “numerous unfriendly steps” taken by Britain and claimed the six diplomats showed, “signs of spying and sabotage.”Friday’s expulsion comes as Britain and the United States are discussing whether to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles against Russia.
The Kremlin has accused NATO of threatening Russia and, even before Feb. 2022, a new Cold War had emerged between Moscow and the West, with President Vladimir Putin cosying up to China, Iran and North Korea.
In 2018, 23 Russian diplomats were expelled by Britain, in the wake of the nerve toxin attack on Sergei Skripal, a former Russian double agent, in Salisbury, England.
The economic sanctions imposed on Moscow by Britain, the U.S. and the European Union following the invasion of Ukraine have triggered an even frostier relationship.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Joe Biden are meeting in Washington and are believed to be discussing whether to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles against Russia.
Britain has supplied Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of 155 miles—much further than the range of any missiles Ukraine has used so far—but Kyiv has been forbidden from using them against targets in Russia.
Putin’s Warning Over Missiles
Putin has threatened dire consequences if Britain and the United States allow the Ukrainians to use long-range missiles against Russia.He told Russian state media on Thursday: “It would mean that NATO countries, the U.S., European countries, are at war with Russia.”
“If that’s the case, then taking into account the change of nature of the conflict, we will take the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face,” he added.
Starmer said Britain did not, “seek any conflict with Russia”, but added, “Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia could end this conflict straight away.”
“Ukraine has the right to self defence and we’ve obviously been absolutely fully supportive of Ukraine’s right to self-defence–we’re providing training capability,” added Starmer, who became prime minister in July after winning a landslide election victory.
During the election campaign, the then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claimed Britain would be “less safe” under a Labour government.
Sunak said of Putin, “Because he is continuing to be aggressive, we need to meet that aggression with strength.”
A Foreign Office statement, sent by email, said, “The accusations made today by the FSB against our staff are completely baseless.”
“The Russian authorities revoked the diplomatic accreditation of six UK diplomats in Russia last month, following action taken by the UK government in response to Russian state-directed activity across Europe and in the UK,” it added.
“We are unapologetic about protecting our national interests,” the statement concluded.
