Russia expels UK diplomat for allegedly spying

Russia has expelled a British diplomat over allegations of espionage, prompting a swift denial from the United Kingdom amid already strained relations between the two countries.

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Russia’s security service, the Federal Security Service, identified the diplomat as Albertus Gerhardus Janse Van Rensburg, accusing him of engaging in activities that threaten national security.

The agency said he was involved in “subversive intelligence activities that threaten Russia’s security,” adding that “a decision was made to strip Janse Van Rensburg of his accreditation, and he was ordered to leave Russia within two weeks.” The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed it had summoned Britain’s chargé d’affaires and warned against retaliatory measures.

In response, the UK government dismissed the claims, calling them unfounded. “The accusations made today by Russia against our diplomats are complete nonsense,” a spokesperson said, adding that Moscow was “pumping out malicious and completely baseless accusations about their work.”

The incident is the latest in a series of diplomatic expulsions between Moscow and London, with both sides frequently trading accusations of spying.

Relations have remained tense, particularly since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, and have been further shaped by past incidents, including the poisoning of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006 and the 2018 nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.

Observers say the latest development could trigger another round of reciprocal diplomatic actions between the two countries.