A Russian-owned castle on the Kent-Sussex border lost its diplomatic status this week. The British government believes it was used by Russia’s GRU military intelligence as a base to control British operations, according to unnamed security sources told The Times. She allegedly used it for meetings and recruiting agents.
Officially, the staff of the Russian diplomatic mission in the United Kingdom were to use the building as a weekend home. Seacox Heath Castle was built in the 19th century and is listed.
The French château-style residence has likely been watched by British intelligence for years. They recorded the comings and goings of various individuals they assumed had been targeted by the GRU as potential agents, including British and other non-Russian members of criminal gangs.
In response to the new findings, the British government announced that it would expel Russia’s military attaché, remove the diplomatic status of several Russian properties in the UK, including Seacox Heath and Highgate, which were believed to have been used for intelligence purposes, and introduce new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas, including limiting the time Russian diplomats can spend in the UK.
The UK also summoned the Russian ambassador to brief him on the measures. It emphasized that it will not tolerate Russia’s actions.
Security sources told The Times they believed the GRU was seeking to build a sophisticated spy base on Seacox Heath.
The operation of Russian agents in Great Britain is a much-discussed topic, especially after the events of 2018, when a pair of Russian agents in Salisbury poisoned double agent Sergei Skripal with the nerve agent Novichok.
