British Interior Minister James Cleverly announced that the UK will expel the Russian defense attaché in the country, whom London described as an "undeclared military intelligence officer." Moscow condemned the decision and stated that it would respond harshly. In a statement to Parliament dedicated to the "malicious activities" attributed to Russia, the Interior Minister also mentioned that several Russian properties on British soil, suspected by London of being used "for intelligence purposes," will lose their diplomatic status.
Additionally, Cleverly announced "new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas" that include limiting the duration that Russian diplomats can spend in the UK. He confirmed that the actions taken by London and its allies in recent years have "made the UK a very difficult place for Russian intelligence operations." The Interior Minister stated before the MPs: "We will expel the Russian defense attaché, who is an undeclared military intelligence officer." The defense attaché is a member of the armed forces serving in an embassy, representing his country's defense sector abroad.
Cleverly emphasized, "Our message to Russia is clear: stop this illegal war, withdraw your forces from Ukraine, and halt these malicious activities," noting that Britain expects to be subjected to "accusations of Russia hatred and conspiracy theories, and hysteria from the Russian government" in the coming days.
The spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned London's announcement to expel the Russian defense attaché in the UK on espionage charges, in addition to the loss of numerous Russian properties on British soil of their diplomatic status. Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram: "London decided to use a blatant lie to justify its anti-Russian announcements on May 8," asserting that Moscow's response will be "harsh."
At the end of April, Britain called for an "immediate halt" to the "malicious activities led by Russia" on its territory. This position followed the indictment of a 20-year-old British citizen in London under the National Security Law, suspected of planning attacks against "companies associated with Ukraine."
