Russia has expelled a British diplomat for spying in an accusation denied by London as a fresh row erupts in the latest blow to relations between the two countries.
The Russian FSB security service named the diplomat, whose photo was splashed across TV news bulletins, as Edward Wilkes and alleged he had intentionally provided false information when he entered Russia – a claim disputed by the UK Foreign Office as “malicious and baseless”.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the FSB said: “During counterintelligence work, the Russian Federal Security Service has discovered an undeclared British intelligence presence under the cover of the national embassy in Moscow.
“At the same time, the Russian FSB has discovered signs of the said diplomat conducting intelligence and subversive work that threatens the security of the Russian Federation.”
A spokesperson for Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “This is not the first time that Russia has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff. We will respond in due course.”
Downing Street issued a similar denial. “To be clear, we refute these allegations. They're baseless. We're now considering our response,” a No 10 spokesman said.
Moscow also said it was adding 30 more British names – including leading members of prime minister Keir Starmer's cabinet – to a “stop list” of people who are banned from entering Russia.
The move is symbolic, as no British minister has visited Russia since before President Vladimir Putin sent his troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
The FSB said the expelled British diplomat had been a replacement for one of six British diplomats ordered out earlier this year, also on espionage charges.
Reacting to those expulsions in September, Britain rejected the spying allegations and said Russia's behaviour was completely unacceptable.
Relations between Britain and Russia have plunged to post-Cold War lows since the start of the Ukraine war. Britain has joined successive waves of sanctions against Russia and provided arms to Ukraine.
Russia said Ukraine fired British Storm Shadow cruise missiles at its territory last week for the first time. Putin cited that, and the launching of US ATACMS ballistic missiles by Ukraine, as the reason Russia fired a new hypersonic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday.
Russia casts Britain and the US as deceitful powers that are supporting Ukraine as part of efforts to cleave Russia apart and grab its vast natural resources – assertions Washington and London dismiss as absurd.
In October, Russia issued a scornful denial when the head of Britain's MI5 security service said Russian military intelligence was bent on causing "mayhem" in Britain and Europe via arson, sabotage and other means.
The expulsion comes after Russia launched 188 drones against most regions of Ukraine in a night-time blitz, the Ukrainian air force said on Tuesday, describing it as a record number of drones deployed in a single attack.
Most of the drones were intercepted, according to the air force, but apartment buildings and critical infrastructure such as the national power grid were damaged.
No casualties were immediately reported in the 17 targeted regions.
