Russia has ordered a British diplomat to leave the country on charges of espionage, accusing him of submitting false information in documents and attempting to collect sensitive information.
On 30 Mar 2026 GMT+7, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) stated that a British diplomat provided false information when applying for entry and attempted to gather sensitive data during an informal economic meeting. The diplomat's status was revoked, and he was ordered to leave Russia within two weeks.
A spokesperson for the United Kingdom's Foreign Office said the allegations were untrue and accused Russia of conducting an aggressive and systematic campaign to intimidate British diplomats.
“Russia has fabricated harmful and completely baseless accusations about their work,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “The UK will not tolerate intimidation of its embassy staff and their families.”
The Russian state news agency Tass reported that the FSB claimed the diplomat “intentionally provided false information” when requesting entry and detected “signs of espionage.” Furthermore, his name was disclosed through Russian government media.
Following the expulsion, Danae Dholakia, the British Deputy Ambassador to Russia, was summoned by Russia's Foreign Ministry but left without commenting.
This incident is among the latest tit-for-tat measures between the UK and Russia amid deteriorating diplomatic relations over recent years. Both sides have expelled numerous diplomats since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Earlier this year, Russia expelled another British diplomat on espionage charges. Prior to that, in March 2025, Russia expelled two British officials on similar espionage accusations. The UK Foreign Office accused Moscow of making “malicious and baseless allegations” against its officials.
In response, the UK revoked the accreditation of a Russian diplomat and their spouse, stating it would “not tolerate intimidation of British embassy staff and their families under any circumstances.”
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Source:bbc