Russia has declared a British diplomat persona non grata, ordering his immediate expulsion from the country on allegations of operating as an undeclared intelligence operative. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that the unidentified individual had his diplomatic accreditation revoked and must depart Russian territory within two weeks.
The escalating diplomatic confrontation prompted Moscow to summon Britain’s charge d’affaires, Danae Dholakia, to formally deliver the expulsion notice. Russian authorities issued a stern warning that they would not tolerate covert intelligence activities within their borders and threatened further retaliatory measures should London choose to escalate the situation.
The British government has maintained official silence regarding the specific allegations, with the Foreign Office declining to comment when approached by media outlets. This incident marks the latest deterioration in Russo-British relations, which have been severely strained since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
This diplomatic expulsion continues a pattern of reciprocal diplomatic removals between the two nations. In March 2023, Russia expelled two British officials over similar espionage allegations, which the UK Foreign Office denounced at the time as “malicious and baseless accusations.” Britain responded to that previous incident by revoking accreditation for a Russian diplomat and a diplomatic spouse, vowing to protect embassy staff from intimidation tactics.
The ongoing tit-for-tat diplomatic warfare reflects the profoundly damaged relationship between Moscow and London, with intelligence operations becoming increasingly central to their confrontational dynamic. This latest expulsion further reduces diplomatic presence between the two nations and suggests intelligence networks are actively being disrupted on both sides.