Russia Expels British Diplomat Over Espionage, Fsb Says

Russia expels a British diplomat for economic espionage

By Guy Faulconbridge and Marina Bobrova

Diplomatic Tensions and Espionage Accusations

MOSCOW, March 30 (Reuters) - Russia on Monday expelled a British diplomat for economic espionage and Moscow's most powerful intelligence agency warned Russians that they could face grave problems if they had any contacts with British diplomats.

FSB's Allegations Against the British Diplomat

The Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said its counter-intelligence officers had discovered that Albertus Gerhardus Janse van Rensburg, a second secretary at the British embassy, was spying.

Details of the Espionage Charges

"The FSB uncovered signs that the diplomat was carrying out intelligence and subversive activities that threaten the security of the Russian Federation," the FSB said.

Context: The Ukraine War and UK-Russia Relations

Amid the war in Ukraine, Moscow has cast Britain as its biggest enemy, saying British intelligence has launched espionage activities at a level unseen since the depths of the Cold War aimed at sowing discord within Russia.

British and Russian Perspectives

Britain, which supports Ukraine with money and weapons, sees Russia as its biggest immediate threat and accuses Russian intelligence of mounting major cyberattacks, killings and sabotage campaigns across the Western world.

Russian state media published a photograph of Janse van Rensburg and the Russian Foreign Ministry said it had delivered a protest to Britain's Charge d'affaires over the alleged spy. It was not possible to contact the diplomat.

FSB's Warning to Russian Citizens

The FSB said the diplomat had attempted to "obtain sensitive information during informal meetings with Russian experts in the field of economics".

"In order to avoid negative consequences, including criminal liability, the FSB of Russia recommends that compatriots refrain from holding meetings with British diplomats," the FSB said.

British Response to the Expulsion

Britain did not immediately reply to a request for comment but when a British diplomat was expelled in January for spying, London dismissed it as "baseless accusations".

Moscow Rules and Diplomatic Hardships

Perceptions of Britain in Russian Media

MOSCOW RULES

As the U.S. under Donald Trump seeks to reset ties with Moscow and broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, Britain has been granted the status of Russia's public enemy number one.

On Russian state television, "Perfidious Albion" is cast as a scheming global intelligence power that is meddling behind the scenes from Washington to Iran in a duplicitous bid to undermine Russian interests across the world.

Surveillance and Restrictions on Diplomats

Western diplomats in Moscow say intrusive surveillance and harassment are frequent and a guide known as "Moscow Rules" that was developed by Western spies in Soviet times to guard against complacency has been updated for modern Russia.

Russia has imposed Soviet-style restrictions on most British diplomats requiring them to give notice of any plans to travel beyond a 120-km (75-mile) radius.

Diplomatic Posting Hardships

Diplomatic postings to Moscow are now considered among the most difficult in the world by Western countries. The U.S. State Department ranks Moscow alongside Freetown, Mogadishu, Damascus and Kabul in hardship terms.

Russian Complaints About Western Treatment

Russia has long complained that its own diplomats are routinely harassed in major Western capitals, particularly in the United States.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Anastasia Teterevleva; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Arun Koyyur)