The UK has revoked the accreditation of a Russian diplomat in the latest escalation of a tit-for-tat diplomatic spat after Moscow expelled a British official last year.
Andrey Kelin, who has served as Moscow’s ambassador to the UK since 2019, was summoned to the Foreign Office to be informed of the move.
The government said the action had been taken in “response to Russia’s unprovoked and baseless decision to strip the accreditation of a British diplomat” in November.
“The UK will not stand for intimidation of our staff in this way, and so we are taking reciprocal action,” it said.
The Foreign Office added that “any further action taken by Russia will be considered an escalation and responded to accordingly”.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said action had been taken “following Russia’s recent expulsion of a British diplomat”.
“We are unapologetic about protecting our national interests,” he said.
“My message to Russia is clear – if you take action against us, we will respond.”
The Kremlin has yet to comment publicly on the expulsion.
Moscow revoked the accreditation of a British diplomat which it claimed was a spy in November – ordering the individual to leave the country within two weeks.
Russian state-run news agencies reported that the country’s security service FSB had accused the diplomat of providing false information on his documents and carrying out espionage activities. His photo was also shared on Russian TV bulletins.
At the time, the Foreign Office dismissed Russia’s accusations as unfounded and said it was considering a retaliatory response.
Russia has previous said it planned to take further action should the UK respond to its own expulsion.
Diplomatic relations between the UK and Russia have worsened since the latter’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In September last year, Russia announced that the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow had been revoked, requiring them to leave the country.
