‘Subversion, espionage’: Russia declares six British diplomats persona non grata (Lead)

Moscow, Sep 13 (IANS) In a move that will further strain their already fraught relationship, Moscow has revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats after the country’s counter-intelligence agency FSB accused them of involvement in espionage and subversive activities, as part of efforts to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia.

The FSB, in a statement on Friday, said that it obtained “documents confirming London’s coordination of the escalation of the international military-political situation”, RT reported.

The UK has also supported “subversive policies” in Russia in an attempt to inflict a “strategic defeat” on the nation, and these efforts have been spearheaded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate (EECAD), the agency said, adding that after the Ukraine war broke out conflict, the EECAD “was essentially transformed into a special service working against Moscow” and its employees are “security threat”

In light of this and other “hostile steps” by the UK, the Russian Foreign Ministry, in cooperation with relevant departments, “has terminated the accreditation of six employees of the political department of the British Embassy in Moscow, whose actions showed signs of intelligence and subversive work”, officials said.

Russia would demand the “early termination of their missions” in the country, they added.

Hours later, the FSB shared pictures of the diplomats, identified as Jessica Davenport, Grace Elvin, Andrew Duff, Katharine McDonnell, Thomas John Hickson Stevenette, and Blake Patel. Most of them hold mid-level positions in the embassy, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

An unnamed FSB official accused the UK of sending married couples as spies to Russia and using minors as cover for its intelligence operations, adding that “any diplomatic etiquette is out of the question”.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS that they fully support the FSB’s assessment, as British diplomats in Russia have been involved in “actions aimed at harming our people”.

The UK Foreign Office has termed the allegations “completely baseless” and claimed that it was a tit-for-tat response to Britain’s decision to revoke the credentials of an attache at Moscow’s embassy in London.

With relations between Russia and the UK at their nadir since the Ukraine conflict as they expelled each other’s diplomats and imposed sanctions, the action comes amid a new war of words between them.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned NATO that it was at risk of entering into war with his country if Europe and the US allowed Ukraine to attack Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who is in Washington for talks with US President Joe Biden, dismissed it, saying Ukraine had the right to defend itself, but noted that he did not seek conflict with Moscow.

However, he said that Russia started the conflict in Ukraine and can end it “straight away”.

–IANS

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