Russia expels another British diplomat amid accusations of spying

Russia has expelled a British diplomat, accusing him of acting as a spy.

The move was announced by Moscow on Thursday morning.

The Russian foreign ministry said that it had received information “regarding the affiliation of a diplomatic employee at the embassy with the British secret service”.

British charge d’affaires Danae Dholakia was subsequently summoned to lodge a "strong protest" and be formally informed of the expulsion, according to a translation of a post on the ministry's Telegram channel.

While the diplomat's identity was not disclosed, he has been given a two-week deadline to depart Russia.

The ministry issued a stern warning, declaring that Moscow would not “tolerate the activities of undeclared British intelligence officers in Russia”.

It said it would "respond decisively in kind" if London were to "escalate the situation".

The incident is the latest in a series of reciprocal diplomatic expulsions between Russia and the United Kingdom, a pattern that has become increasingly common since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

In March 2025, Russia accused two British diplomats of spying and expelled them from the country.

The expulsions marked the first instance of Western diplomats being ousted from Russia since Moscow and Washington initiated talks to rebuild staff levels at their respective embassies.

The effort was part of US President Donald Trump's attempt to improve relations with the Kremlin, a move that caused concern among European allies.

Russia's Federal Security Service said that the two diplomats provided false information to gain entry into Russia.

They were found to be conducting "intelligence and subversive work" that threatened Russian security, it said.

Two days later, the UK expelled a Russian diplomat and a diplomatic spouse in response to the “increasingly aggressive and co-ordinated campaign of harassment” against British officials in Moscow.

Then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “We are taking immediate action in direct response to Russia’s pernicious targeting of British diplomats and their families.

“We will not tolerate the Kremlin’s relentless and unacceptable campaign of intimidation, nor their repeated attempts to threaten UK security.”