The UK Home Secretary James Cleverly announced on Wednesday that the country will expel an “undeclared” Russian military intelligence officer, accusing the defence attaché of espionage. Alongside the expulsion, a wave of sanctions against Russia will be introduced to “dismantle Russian intelligence gathering operations in the UK.”
The other sanctions to be imposed will include the removal of diplomatic premises status from several Russian properties in the UK and the introduction of restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas, such as capping the length of time diplomats can spend in the UK. The Russian Ambassador had been summoned to relay the measures and to “reiterate that Russia’s actions will not be tolerated,” according to the Home Office.
Cleverly unveiled these latest measures in a speech to the House of Commons. In a further written statement he said, “We are taking action to send a strong deterrence message to Russia and to further reduce the ability of the Russian Intelligence Services to threaten the UK.” Foreign Secretary David Cameron has also linked Russian espionage activity to the war in Ukraine, stating:
Since the illegal invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s attempts to undermine UK and European security have become increasingly brazen.These measures are an unequivocal message to the Russian state – their actions will not go unanswered. Alongside our friends and partners we will continue to stand with Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its malign activity.
The tougher measures were the latest step in response to a “pattern of alleged Russian malign activity across the UK and Europe” in a bid to “target and dismantle Russian intelligence-gathering operations,” the Home Office said. In the official statement, the Home Office referred to an incident earlier this year where six Bulgarian nationals were charged with conspiring to commit espionage activities in the UK on behalf of Russia under the National Security Act 2023.
The latest move against Russia follows a previous wave of sanctions introduced in February. After the death of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison camp, the UK government imposed sanctions on six senior figures at the prison complex.
