Russia Expels British Diplomat on Spying Charges

Russian authorities expelled a British diplomat from Moscow on Thursday, accusing him of spying for British intelligence, in the latest escalation of tensions between the two nations amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, alleged that the unidentified embassy staff member had been working covertly for British intelligence, though it provided no supporting evidence. The Russian Foreign Ministry revoked the diplomat's accreditation and ordered him to leave the country within two weeks. In a statement, the ministry declared that Moscow "will not tolerate the work of undeclared British intelligence officers in Russia" and warned that it would "respond decisively in kind" if London retaliates by expelling Russian diplomats.

The ministry summoned Britain's chargé d'affaires in Moscow, Danae Dholakia, to its headquarters to deliver the expulsion notice and lodge a formal protest. As Dholakia departed the building, she faced jeers from a crowd of onlookers who shouted anti-British slogans, including claims that British weapons were harming civilians and that London was promoting death. Russian state media described the group as Moscow residents...