UK expels Russian diplomat as tensions with Moscow escalate

WorldPolitics
13 Mar 2025 • 12:47 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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The UK has expelled a Russian diplomat and a diplomatic spouse in response to an “increasingly aggressive and co-ordinated campaign of harassment” against British officials in Moscow.

The move is a tit-for-tat retaliation to a similar move by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government earlier this week.

The Foreign Office said it had summoned Russian ambassador Andrei Kelin to make clear “the UK will not stand for intimidation of British embassy staff and their families”.

A spokesman claimed the Russian state was “actively seeking to drive the British embassy in Moscow towards closure” with its actions.