13 September 2024 , 15:40
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The UK government has said that claims made by Russia’s security services about six members of British diplomatic staff it has expelled from Russia are “baseless”.
In a statement, the UK government said:
The accusations made today by the FSB against our staff are completely baseless. The Russian authorities revoked the diplomatic accreditation of six UK diplomats in Russia last month, following action taken by the UK government in response to Russian state directed activity across Europe and in the UK. We are unapologetic about protecting our national interests.
The announcement that Russia evoked the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow on accusations of espionage came as Keir Starmer was landing in Washington to discuss letting Ukraine use long-range missiles deep inside Russian territory.
The FSB security agency said on Friday it had taken the measure after uncovering documents showing that part of the Foreign Office was helping coordinate what it called “the escalation of the political and military situation” in Ukraine.
The Guardian’s political correspondent Kiran Stacey reports:
The Guardian understands the move was made several months ago, after the Metropolitan police charged a group of British men with planning an arson attack against Ukrainian-linked businesses on behalf of the Russian state. But it was only announced in a statement on Friday morning.
Russian media has named and published photographs of the six British members of diplomatic staff.