British diplomat expelled from Russia after being accused of being a spy

A British diplomat has been expelled from Russia after being accused of being a spy.The diplomat, who was not named, had two weeks to leave the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said after it received information “regarding the affiliation of a diplomatic employee at the embassy with the British secret service”.A translation of a post on the Telegram channel of Russia’s foreign minister said the British deputy head of mission, Danae Dholakia, had been summoned to be informed the diplomat was being expelled.Saying Moscow would not “tolerate the activities of undeclared British intelligence officers in Russia”, the foreign ministry said Russia would respond decisively if the UK “escalates the situation”.“A warning was also issued that if London escalates the situation, the Russian side will give a decisive ‘mirror’ response,” it said.Russia and the US pledged to rebuild staffing levels at their embassies early last year as part of a charm offensive on Moscow by the US president, Donald Trump, which was roundly criticised in Europe.Russia and the UK have periodically expelled each other’s diplomats since the start of the war in Ukraine. Most recently, Russia expelled a British diplomat and the spouse of another in March last year, claiming the pair had been spies.In response, the UK expelled a Russian diplomat, with the then foreign secretary, David Lammy, accusing Moscow of waging a “relentless and unacceptable campaign of intimidation” against British embassy staff. He also criticised Russia’s “repeated attempts to threaten UK security”.The UK Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.