Russia gave a junior British diplomat two weeks to leave the country after alleging spy activity. The UK government rejected the accusation as “baseless.”
On Tuesday, November 26th, the Russian intelligence agency FSB said that Edward Wilkes, a second secretary at the British embassy, had provided false information when entering the country a few months ago and had been working for British intelligence under diplomatic cover.
“The Russian FSB has identified signs of intelligence and subversive work by the said diplomat that threatens the security of the Russian Federation,” the agency said in its statement.
On Wednesday morning, Russian foreign ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova confirmed that Wilkes’ accreditation had been revoked and that the ministry summoned Ambassador Nigel Casey over the incident.
Zakharova stressed that Moscow would take an “uncompromising line” towards any spying activity from Britain or elsewhere. “In addition, if London escalates the situation, the Russian side will immediately give a ‘mirror’ response,” she said.
In reply, 10 Downing Street rejected the allegations, and a spokesman from PM Keir Starmer’s office said the government would consider expelling a Russian diplomat in retaliation.
Wilkes arrived in Russia as a replacement for one of the six British diplomats expelled by Moscow in September, also on espionage charges which London denied.
There have been several rounds of mutual expulsion of diplomats between Britain and Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but the two countries’ relationship hit an all-time low last week after London authorized Kyiv to strike targets inside Russia with British Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
On Tuesday, the Russian foreign ministry also announced that it was banning some 30 British politicians from entering the country over what it described as “hostile actions,” including Labour cabinet ministers such as Angela Rayner, Yvette Cooper, and Rachel Reeves.
