UK Expels Russian Diplomat in Retaliation

Britain expelled an unidentified Russian diplomat on Wednesday, April 30, in retaliation for Russia's ejection of a British embassy official from Moscow last month amid espionage allegations.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office summoned Russian Ambassador Andrei Kelin to London to notify him of the reciprocal measure, revoking the diplomat's accreditation. "Russia's repeated unprovoked and unjustified actions are designed to disrupt our diplomatic work and form part of a wider campaign of aggressive behavior toward the U.K.," the office stated. It added that any further Russian actions would be viewed as an escalation and met with a firm and proportionate response.

The British action directly responds to Russia's March 30 expulsion of Albertus Gerardus Janse van Rensburg, a second secretary at the British Embassy in Moscow. Russia's Federal Security Service accused him of engaging in intelligence activities, claiming he sought sensitive economic information during informal meetings with Russian experts. Britain rejected the allegations as unfounded and condemned the expulsion alongside what it called a malicious public smear campaign. "This behavior is wholly...