Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) named six British embassy staff, revoking their accreditation and showing their photographs after discovering evidence of intelligence and subversive activities, Russian media reported. (Updated 13 September at 11:05 a.m.)
An FSB spokesperson said that the service had received documents which confirmed the UK coordinated the “escalation of the international military-political situation.” The Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate of the British Foreign Office was named the main structure in charge of directing the subversive policy.
After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the directorate became an intelligence agency aimed at “strategically defeating Russia,” according to the statement. The expelled British Embassy staff are Jessica Davenport, Grace Elvin, Callum Andrew Duff, Katharine McDonnell, Thomas John Hickson, and Blake Patel.
The English did not take our hints about the need to stop this practice (of carrying out intelligence activities inside Russia), so we decided to expel these six to begin with.
The British manual of action followed by the expelled British embassy staff contained worldwide anti-Russian operations involving both diplomatic and military resources to confront the Russia.
According to the FSB, the new structure of the British Foreign office became a focal point for destabilising Russia and other countries, drawing major players into the global conflict. Diplomats allegedly held meetings with representatives of publications, societies and NGOs, prohibited in Russia.
Thus, the facts revealed give grounds to consider the activities of British diplomats sent to Moscow by the directorate as threatening the security of the Russian Federation.
The practice of revealing the identities of diplomatic officials not caught red-handed is not typical of the intelligence services. Political and security experts argued that the move could have signalled a grave threat to national security. The British embassy was allegedly preparing something that could lead to an escalation between non-belligerent states.
