Russia decided to expel a British diplomat, accusing him of espionage on Tuesday, as reported by the FSB of the Russian Federation. This marks the latest tit-for-tat diplomatic move amid rising tensions over the war in Ukraine, Politico notes, UNN writes.
Details
The FSB statement accuses British diplomat Edward Pryor of"intentionally providing false information when obtaining permission to enter our country, thereby violating Russian law.
the FSB also said that the diplomat showed "signs of conducting subversive intelligence work that threatens the national security of the Russian Federation.
On this basis, the Russian Foreign Ministry ordered him to leave Russia within two weeks. British ambassador to Russia Nigel Casey was also summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
There was no immediate reaction to this news from the British Foreign Office or 10 Downing Street, as indicated.
This comes amid growing tensions between the UK and Russia over the war in Ukraine, the newspaper points out.
Addition
In May, the British government expelled a Russian military attache from London, accusing him of spying for the Kremlin. Pryor himself was sent to Russia as a replacement for six British diplomats expelled in September, among other things, for meeting with human rights activists and journalists who criticize the Kremlin.