UK expels Russian diplomat after British envoy accused of spying

Russia’s ambassador to the UK Andrey Kelin, who has been in post since 2019, was summoned to the Foreign Office to be informed one of his diplomats was having their accreditation revoked.

An accreditation is a recognition by a government of a diplomat’s status, and gives them certain immunities depending on rank.

“We are unapologetic about protecting our national interests,” Lammy said.

“My message to Russia is clear – if you take action against us, we will respond.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it intended to retaliate to the expulsion, in a statement given to the state-owned Tass news agency.

Moscow revoked the British diplomat’s accreditation in November, accusing them of spying and ordering the individual to leave the country within two weeks.

Russian state-run news agencies reported that the country’s security service FSB had accused the diplomat of providing false information on his documents and carrying out espionage activities.

His photo and name was also shared on Russian TV bulletins.

At the time, the Foreign Office dismissed Russia’s accusations as “baseless” and said it was considering a response.

Russia previously said it planned to take further action should the UK respond to its own expulsion.

Diplomatic relations between the UK and Russia have worsened since the latter’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Since then, expulsions of diplomats have become increasingly common.

In September last year, Russia announced that the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow had been revoked, requiring them to leave the country.

And in May, British diplomat Capt Adrian Coghill was given a week to leave Russia, days after the Russian defence attaché was expelled from London for alleged espionage as an “undeclared military intelligence officer”.

A number of British politicians and members of the press have also been barred from entering Russia since the war began, including senior government officials and journalists from the BBC, Sky News and Channel 4.

Most recently, 30 more people, including Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and other Labour cabinet members, were added to Russia’s “stop list”.

Lammy and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer were added to the list in 2022, as was now-Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.