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Home Office expels Russian diplomat who was ‘undeclared military intelligence officer’
The Home Office has expelled a Russian defence attache as part of a series of measures against Moscow.
James Cleverly said the measures come because of the “reckless and dangerous activities of the Russian government across Europe”.
“I can tell the House [of Commons] that we will expel the Russian defence attache who is an undeclared military intelligence officer,” he said.
He then outlined other measures in the package.
“We will remove diplomatic premises status from several Russian owned properties in the UK, including Seacox Heath, a Russian owned-property in Sussex and the trade and defence section in Highgate, which we believe have been used for intelligence purposes.
“And we are imposing new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas, including capping the length of time Russian diplomats can spend in the UK.”
Mr Cleverly ended with a strongly worded statement.
“Our message to Russia is clear: Stop this illegal war. Withdraw your troops from Ukraine. Cease this malign activity.”
Explained: Why is the UK expelling a Russian attache?
A short time ago, we reported on a Home Office statement outlining the expulsion of a Russian defence attache – who the Home Secretary said was “an undeclared military intelligence officer”.
But why now?
In the last few weeks, rhetoric has been building in Westminster about continued Russian interference in the UK and Europe.
This was partly down to the arrest of a British man charged over an arson plot on London businesses linked to Ukraine.
The 20-year-old man is accused of masterminding alleged hostile state activity to benefit Moscow, in part by recruiting others for the arson attack.
“The UK remains deeply concerned by allegations of Russian orchestrated malign activity on UK soil,” a spokesperson for the Foreign Office said in the aftermath.
“We call for an immediate cessation of this activity and we will continue to work with our allies to deter and defend against the full spectrum of threats that emanate from Russia.”
Dylan Earl is alleged to have engaged in conduct targeting the businesses in order to benefit the Russian state.
Since then, it appears that both the Home and Foreign Offices have been looking into how to respond to what they consistently describe as “malign” activities.
One such measure was to expel somebody the government believes may be spying for the Kremlin – another is to remove diplomatic premises status for certain buildings owned by the Russian state on British soil.
One property, Seacox Heath, is a Russian owned-property in Sussex and officially is used as a weekend retreat for its embassy staff in the UK.
Having diplomatic premises status means nobody can enter, including law enforcement, without the expressed permission of the (in this case) Russian ambassador of the head of diplomatic mission.
Estonia’s foreign ministry summons head of Russian embassy
Estonia’s foreign ministry has summoned the head of the Russian embassy in Tallinn to protest the jamming of GPS signals, a minister in the Baltic country has said.
“Today we summoned Russian charge d’affaires over GPS jamming which is a violation of regulations of the International Telecommunication Union & has caused serious damage to Estonian air traffic,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on X
It follows Estonia’s accusations last month that Russia had violated international airspace regulations by interfering with GPS signals after signal jamming forced it to make changes to its Tartu airport.
Russia and Estonia last year expelled each other’s ambassadors as relations deteriorated in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Putin inauguration: The famous faces spotted at Kremlin palace
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term as Russian president at a palace in Moscow in front of a crowd of faces – including actor Steven Seagal and the leader of a biker gang.
“We are a united and great people and together we will overcome all obstacles, realise all our plans, together we will win,” he said after being sworn in on Tuesday.
At the ceremony in the gilded Grand Kremlin Palace, Mr Putin placed his hand on the Russian Constitutionand vowed to defend it, as a crowd of hand-picked dignitaries looked on.
A number of famous faces were in the crowd waiting to see the Kremlin leader sworn in once again.
Find out who they were here.
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Russia ‘will respond appropriately’, RIA reports
Russian state media is already reporting the Kremlin’s response to the news a Russian defence attache to the UK will be expelled.
See our previous post for details on that story.
RIA cites the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as telling its journalists that the Kremlin will respond appropriately following the expulsion.
War would be over in two weeks if West stopped supporting Ukraine, Russia says
Russia has echoed claims made by the European Union’s foreign policy chief suggesting that the war in Ukraine would finish in just two weeks if the West halted military supplies to Kyiv.
Josep Borrell said earlier this month that Ukraine’s existence depended on the West.
Maria Zakharova, Moscow’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, said this morning that the West had raised the rhetoric about Russia.
“And what is needed for de-escalation, Borrell said: if you
stop supplying Kiev with weapons, everything will be over in two
weeks – here is the de-escalation formula,” she said.
Overnight attacks could lead to power cuts
Last night’s massive Russian attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure could lead to power cuts this evening, according to the country’s grid operator.
Infrastructure across the country, including in Lviv, was struck as Russia fired some 50 missiles and 20 drones.
As a result, this morning saw nine Ukrainian regions experience power cuts.
Ukraine’s grid operator Ukrenergo said on Telegram that power generating facilities were damaged and that power cuts would likely continue into the night.
In pictures: Missile strike leaves crater in Zaporizhzhia
One part of Ukraine targeted by Russia overnight was Zaporizhzhia.
Moscow fired 50 missiles and 20 drones at Ukraine, some of which hit the frontline region.
These images show a view of one successful missile strike, which destroyed a car and left a crater in its wake.
Kremlin: No comment on Zelenskyy assassination plot
The Kremlin has declined to comment on Ukrainian reports suggesting security services foiled a Russian plot to kidnap and assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and kill other top Kyiv officials (see 9.27am post).
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had no comment on the assertion but added that was unlikely to be accurate information.
Some reports suggested the plot was meant as “a gift” for Russian President Vladimir Putin as he was sworn in for a new term yesterday.