Russia expels two British nationals accused of espionage in latest spy row

Two UK citizens have been ordered to leave Russia after being accused of espionage. The individuals, a British diplomat and the spouse of another, were allegedly involved in intelligence activities under the guise of the embassy in Moscow.

They have been given two weeks to exit the country, as reported by Russian news agency Tass, citing the FSB security agency. A representative from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office responded: “This is not the first time that Russia has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff.”

This incident follows recent allegations by counter-terrorism police accusing six Bulgarian nationals of large-scale spying for Vladimir Putin.

Bulgarians Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, were convicted last week at the Old Bailey of industrial-scale espionage, posing a threat to lives and national security. They will be sentenced in May alongside leader Orlin Roussev, 47, his deputy Biser Dzhambazov, 43, and Ivan Stoyanov, 33, who confessed their involvement.

The FSB stated: “The Federal Security Service’s counter-intelligence operations exposed the unreported intelligence presence of the United Kingdom under the cover of the country’s embassy in Moscow”. It reiterated: “The Federal Security Service’s counter-intelligence operations exposed the unreported intelligence presence of the United Kingdom under the cover of the country’s embassy in Moscow.”

The Kremlin has ordered a 34 year old man and a 32 year old woman to leave Russia within two weeks, revoking their accreditation. This is the latest in a series of reciprocal expulsions between the UK’s embassy in Moscow and the Russian mission in London.

Earlier this year, the Foreign Office revoked the accreditation of a Russian diplomat, with David Lammy stating that the UK will remain “unapologetic” in its stance against Putin. This action was in response to what the Foreign Office deemed an unfounded decision to expel a British diplomat from Russia on suspicion of spying last November.

The expulsion also follows a significant criminal investigation that resulted in six members of a Russian proxy spy ring, known as the “Minions” facing lengthy prison sentences for their involvement in one of the most extensive and complicated enemy operations discovered on UK soil.

Counter-terrorism police and MI5 were able to dismantle the network, controlled by one of Europe’s most wanted men, Jan Marsalek, from Moscow, after Roussev retained tens of thousands of messages detailing instructions, targets, surveillance logs, and extensive information about their plots.

This “treasure trove” led to the convictions of Ivanova, 33, Gaberova, 30, and Ivanchev, 39. Commander Dominic Murphy, Head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, warned that this is a “clear example” of Moscow outsourcing its intelligence gathering to proxies and criminals, adding: “We will see more of that”.

Commander Murphy disclosed a concerning trend in counter-terrorism, with over one-fifth of current investigations being connected to hostile states instigating chaos in Britain.

He stated: “Years ago, this would have been Russian agents on soil, directly working for a Russian intelligence agency.

“Instead what you have got is these activities being contracted out to individuals like this group.”

Regarding the danger posed by Russian intelligence services, he asserted: “This is well organized, well-structured and poses a significant threat. We have to meet that demand.

“They are becoming much more aggressive and intrusive about how they carry out their activity in the UK.

“We have seen a significant change in the way they operate, mostly trying to use criminal proxies and groups like this to carry out their role for them rather than doing it directly.

“This is one of those clear examples of outsourcing and I think we will see more of that.”

Additionally, the former Wirecard chief Marsalek, who managed the spy network for roughly eight years, served as a liaison between Russian intelligence and the operation’s mastermind Roussev, 47, based in Great Yarmouth. Roussev received payments exceeding 200,000 euros (over $216,000) to finance espionage efforts.

Marsalek oversaw operations including the Minions, headed by second-in-command Dzhambazov, who was romantically involved with two members of the teamhis partner Ivanova and a beautician named Gaberovaas recounted by jurors.

The spies were directed to monitor an American military base in Germany, under the suspicion that it was being utilized to train Ukrainian forces on Patriot missiles in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is in discussions with Moscow about allowing Russian diplomats back into the United States, in an attempt to improve US and Russia relations.