Tuesday, March 31, 2026 - Russia has expelled a British diplomat over allegations of espionage, prompting a swift denial from the United Kingdom amid already strained relations between the two countries.
Russia’s security service, the Federal Security Service,
identified the diplomat as Albertus Gerhardus Janse Van Rensburg, accusing him
of engaging in activities that threaten national security.
The agency said he was involved in “subversive intelligence
activities that threaten Russia’s security,” adding that “a decision was made
to strip Janse Van Rensburg of his accreditation, and he was ordered to leave
Russia within two weeks.” The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed it had
summoned Britain’s chargé d’affaires and warned against retaliatory measures.
In response, the UK government dismissed the claims, calling
them unfounded. “The accusations made today by Russia against our diplomats are
complete nonsense,” a spokesperson said, adding that Moscow was “pumping out
malicious and completely baseless accusations about their work.”
The incident is the latest in a series of diplomatic
expulsions between Moscow and London, with both sides frequently trading
accusations of spying.
Relations have remained tense, particularly since the
outbreak of the Ukraine war, and have been further shaped by past incidents,
including the poisoning of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko in London
in 2006 and the 2018 nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.
Observers say the latest development could trigger another
round of reciprocal diplomatic actions between the two countries.
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