The UK government has denied the accusation as ‘baseless’ as ties between London and Moscow continue to deteriorate over the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia has ordered a British diplomat to leave the country for allegedly spying, an accusation the UK government rejected as “baseless” amid rising tensions between London and Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
Russia’s FSB security service on Tuesday said that the diplomat, Edward Wilkes, had provided false information when he entered the country, and had been working for British intelligence under diplomatic cover.
“The Russian FSB has identified signs of intelligence and subversive work by the said diplomat that threatens the security of the Russian Federation,” it said in a statement that was widely published by Russian news agencies along with a photo of Wilkes.
The FSB said that Wilkes was a second secretary, which is a relatively junior embassy position.
Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Wilkes’ accreditation had been revoked and that the diplomat must leave the country within two weeks. The ministry has summoned British Ambassador to Moscow Nigel Casey over the incident.
Moscow said it would take an “uncompromising line” towards any undeclared British spy activity.
“In addition, if London escalates the situation, the Russian side will immediately give a ‘mirror’ response,” the Russian foreign ministry said.
A spokesman for British PM Keir Starmer said the government rejected the allegations, calling them “baseless”. When asked if London would expel a Russian diplomat in response, the spokesman said the government was “considering” its response.
The FSB said Wilkes had been a replacement for one of six British diplomats expelled from Russia in September, also on allegations of spying, which London strongly denied.
Russia and NATO allies have carried out multiple rounds of mutual expulsions of diplomats as ties have sunk to the lowest levels since the Cold War after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Dire relations between Moscow and London in particular soured further last week when Ukraine fired British Storm Shadow cruise missiles to hit targets in Russia for the first time — on 20 November — after the UK had lifted restrictions on Kyiv from doing so.
Putin cited the move, alongside the launching of US-supplied ballistic missiles by Ukraine at Russian territory, as the reason that Russia fired a new hypersonic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on 21 November.
Separately on Tuesday, Russia’s foreign ministry announced that it was banning several leading British politicians from entering the country.
Labour cabinet ministers including Angela Rayner, Yvette Cooper and Rachel Reeves are among the 30 British citizens added to Russia’s “stop list” over what the foreign ministry described as “hostile actions”.
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