VLADIMIR Putin has expelled two British diplomats after reportedly accusing them of being spies.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced a pair of workers connected to Britain’s embassy in Moscow have just two weeks to leave the country, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
AFPVladimir Putin has expelled two British diplomats in Moscow after Russia accused them of being spies[/caption]
East2WestBoth individuals accused of spying had connections to the UK embassy in Moscow[/caption]
East2WestLast week, Russian spy Vanya Gaberova was found guilty of espionage on British soil[/caption]
PAKatrin Ivanova was also convicted[/caption]
Both individuals had deliberately declared false information about themselves when entering Russia, the FSB claimed.
They were also accused of “intelligence and subversive activities that threaten Russia’s security”, according to local media.
The Kremlin security service added that “both will be stripped of their accreditation and must leave Russia within two weeks”.
The Brits are believed to be a 34-year-old man and a 32-year-old women.
A senior British diplomat was seen entering and leaving the Russian foreign ministry as he was informed of the serious explosions.
Just days earlier, a Russian spy ring who carried out espionage operations for Putin’s regime in Britain while bedding each other were caught.
Two women, known as the “killer sexy brunettes,” were in a love triangle with a leading member of the cell of six Bulgarian spies living and working in the UK.
The group plotted honeypot stings and conducted spying missions on behalf of Russia across Europe from Britain for lavish sums of money.
The spy ring was run by former city tech worker Orlin Roussev, 46, and targeted Putin’s opponents as well as assisting the Russian war effort against Ukraine.
Glamorous lab assistant Katrin Ivanova, 33, and beautician Vanya Gaberova, 30, were today convicted at the Old Bailey of espionage offences under the Official Secrets Act.
Gaberova’s painter and decorator ex-boyfriend Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, of Enfield, North London, was also convicted of spying charges.
The issue of Russian spies are feared to be a growing trend, says counter-terror chief Commander Dominic Murphy.
In September 2024, the accreditation of six diplomats were also terminated.
Later on in November, a second secretary of the British embassy’s department was ordered to leave Russia.
Growing trend of Russian spying on British soil
A counter-terrorism chief has warned of the growing trend of Russia using criminal proxies to spy on British soil.
Commander Dominic Murphy, the head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command vowed never to take his “eye off the ball” as he hailed his team’s success.
He said: “This is one of the largest and most complex examples of a group working for a foreign state to conduct intelligence surveillance operations here in the UK so it is a very significant case and I am very proud of the investigation team and the success they have had.
“This investigation uncovered spying on behalf of the Russian state on an industrial case, in this case committed by a group of Bulgarians contracted by an individual to conduct that spying on behalf of Russia.
“As the UK becomes a more hostile environment as a result of our work we will see them increasingly use proxies to conduct their activities.”
The ring was smashed in raids on properties in London and ringleader Orlin Roussev’s address in Great Yarmouth in February 2023, where police uncovered a treasure trove of hi-tech spyware.
On the challenges faced by enemy states operating on UK soil, he said: “Within counter-terrorism policing we are seeing more than 20% of our demand now coming from threat posed from foreign states to our national security so this is an ever growing challenge for us.
“We are committed to working closely with intelligence agencies in this country and our international partners to disrupt activity by foreign states.
“We have been working hard to make the UK a hostile working operating environment for these countries and this is an example of that because this group were contracted to operate on behalf of Russian intelligence services because this is a hostile environment for them to operate in directly here.
“So some positives but we will never take our eye off the ball working with our partners to keep the UK safe.”
PAGaberova was arrested naked in a bed with Biser Dzhambazov a few days ago[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
