A British diplomat has been expelled from Russia after being accused of spying, in a move the UK Foreign Office described as 'malicious and baseless'. The diplomat, who has not been named, was given two weeks to leave the country.
The Russian foreign ministry said it had received information linking the embassy employee to the British secret service. Danae Dholakia, the British deputy head of mission, was summoned to be informed of the expulsion. Moscow warned that it would respond with a 'mirror' measure if London escalated the situation.
The UK Foreign Office dismissed the allegations as a sign of desperation from the Kremlin. A spokesperson said: 'This is not the first time the Kremlin has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff. Their targeting of British diplomats comes out of desperation.' The UK is now considering its response.
The expulsion is the latest in a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic spats between the two countries since the start of the war in Ukraine. In March last year, Russia expelled two British diplomats, alleging they were spies, prompting the UK to expel a Russian diplomat in return.
