Russia, U.K. Each Expel a Diplomat After British Allegations of Espionage
The U.K. and Russia each expelled a
diplomat from the other country after what the U.K. said was
“clear evidence” of espionage.
The U.K. requested Dec. 10 that the Russian embassy in
London withdraw a staff member in response to “clear evidence
of activities by the Russian intelligence services against U.K.
interests,” Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement
today.
“Russia responded on Dec. 16 by requesting the removal of
a member of our embassy staff in Moscow,” Hague said. “We
reject any basis for that action.”
Both diplomats have now been withdrawn, he said.
Russia protested earlier this month following media reports
that U.K. authorities had detained a 25-year-old Russian woman,
Yekaterina Zatuliveter, on suspicion of espionage. She was
working as a researcher in the House of Commons.
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Dec. 7 that it
was “under no illusions” regarding the continued presence in
the U.K. of “very influential forces that have no interest in
normalizing Russo-British relations.” A week later, the
ministry said that Zatuliveter had been freed on bail while
appealing her deportation and condemned what it described as
“rampant, paranoid spy-mania.”
Relations between the two countries reached a post-Cold War
low after the 2006 killing of dissident KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in London. Each country expelled four of the other’s
diplomats in 2007, and in 2008 Moscow forced the British Council
cultural promotion body to shut its offices in Russia outside
the capital.
“We remain open to a more productive relationship with
Russia, as with any other country, on the basis of respect for
our laws,” Hague said in his statement today.
Russia’s foreign ministry declined to comment today on the
diplomats’ withdrawal.
To contact the reporters on this story:
Anna Shiryaevskaya in Moscow at
ashiryaevska [at] bloomberg [dot] net
Henry Meyer in Moscow at
hmeyer4 [at] bloomberg [dot] net
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Will Kennedy at
wkennedy3 [at] bloomberg [dot] net
Willy Morris at
wmorris [at] bloomberg [dot] net