U.K. to Expel Russian Defense Attaché as Diplomatic Feud With Moscow Escalates

Europe|Britain to Expel Russian Defense Attaché and Close Some Diplomatic Sites

Britain’s diplomatic feud with Russia escalated connected Wednesday aft the British authorities announced it would expel a elder Russian diplomat who officials assertion is an “undeclared” subject quality officer, and besides unopen down respective Russian diplomatic facilities successful the country.

The authorities accused Russia’s overseas quality service, the Federal Security Service, oregon F.S.B., of a signifier of “malign activity” successful Britain and Europe, including hacking and leaking commercialized documents relating to the United States, and targeting of British lawmakers done malicious email campaigns.

James Cleverly, the British location secretary, told Parliament that the authorities was announcing the retaliatory measures “to marque wide to Russia that we volition not tolerate specified evident escalations.”

Britain’s enactment came 2 days aft the Russian Foreign Ministry said it had summoned the British ambassador to Moscow to lodge a “strong protest” implicit remarks the British overseas secretary, David Cameron, had made astir Ukraine’s utilizing weapons supplied by Britain to onslaught Russian territory.

The British Foreign Office disputed that the envoy, Nigel Casey, had been summoned, characterizing it alternatively arsenic a “diplomatic meeting” successful which, it said, helium had “reiterated the United Kingdom’s enactment for Ukraine successful the look of unprovoked Russian aggression.”

Whatever the diplomatic nuances, it is wide Britain’s relations with Russia — already among the astir brittle of immoderate betwixt Moscow and a NATO subordinate — are tumbling into an adjacent deeper freeze. Russia’s Foreign Ministry vowed a “tough and measured” response, according to a statement.