Britain expels Russian military attache, Moscow prepares retaliation

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Britain will expel the Russian military attaché in London, revoke the diplomatic status of some properties linked to Russia and limit the validity of Russian diplomatic visas.

According to Reuters, British Home Secretary James Cleverly announced this on Wednesday.

According to him, the British government is reacting to Moscow’s harmful activities in the country and elsewhere in Europe. The spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy, Marija Zakharova, said that Moscow will respond appropriately to London’s actions.

“We will expel a Russian military attaché who is an undeclared military intelligence officer,” Cleverly told the British parliament. According to the Minister of the Interior, several Russian properties in Britain, which according to London could have been used for intelligence purposes, will also lose their diplomatic status.

“We will also introduce new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas, including limits on the time Russian diplomats can spend in Britain,” Cleverly added.

The Reuters agency recalled that British authorities in April brought charges against two men from central England who face suspicion of ties to Russian intelligence. They were detained in connection with the March warehouse fire in east London and, according to the indictment, planned attacks on businesses connected to Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry denied involvement in the March arson attack in London.