LONDON (AP) 鈥� The U.K. on Wednesday expelled a Russian diplomat in retaliation for Moscow鈥檚 recent expulsion of a British official and the smear campaign that followed.
Britain鈥檚 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it summoned the Russian ambassador to its offices in London to inform him of the 鈥渞eciprocal action.鈥� The tit-for tat moves reflect spiraling tensions between Moscow and the West.
鈥淭his behavior is wholly unacceptable, and we will not tolerate harassment or intimidation of our diplomatic staff,鈥欌�� the Foreign Office said in a statement.
The move came after Russia over spying allegations that the U.K. rejected as 鈥渃omplete nonsense.鈥�
Russia鈥檚 top domestic security and counterintelligence agency, the Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, said the British diplomat had sought to gather 鈥渟ensitive information鈥� about the Russian economy in 鈥渦nofficial meetings鈥� with Russian experts. The diplomat was ordered to leave Russia within two weeks.
Russia and NATO member states have carried out of diplomats since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, sending diplomatic relations to their lowest ebb since the Cold War.
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