A British diplomat has been ordered to leave Russia, with officials accusing the man of being an intelligence agent working undercover at the embassy in Moscow.
The man, who has not been identified, has been stripped of his accreditation and must leave the country within two weeks, Russia’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.
In a statement, the ministry added that it had summoned British charge d’affaires Danae Dholakia over the matter.
The UK government has not commented on the allegations.
Moscow said it would not tolerate “undeclared British intelligence officers” in its territory and warned that it would take further action if London escalates the situation.
The has asked the Foreign Office for a response.
Diplomatic relations between the UK and Russia have worsened in recent years, with both countries expelling a number of each other’s diplomats since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In March last year, Russia expelled two British officials over accusations of spying, with the UK Foreign Office accusing Moscow of “malicious and baseless accusations” against its staff.
The UK, in response, revoked accreditation for a Russian diplomat and a diplomatic spouse, saying it would “not stand for intimidation of British embassy staff and their families”.