RUSSIA has expelled six British diplomats from Moscow as relations between the UK and the Kremlin sink to a new low.
Vladimir Putin’s FSB accused them of spying and seeking to inflict a strategic defeat in Russia.
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The timing of the announcement comes as Britain is leading Western efforts to allow Ukraine to deploy long range missiles on targets deep inside Russia, starting with UK Storm Shadow missiles.
Putin warned last night that such a move would be seen as an act of war between Nato and Russia.
It is not immediately clear whether Britain has enforced a tit for tat expulsion.
The diplomats – from the British Embassy’s political department – are thought to have left Russia early in September.
Russian state-run TV channel Zvezda – owned by the Defence Ministry – showed footage of the diplomats leaving Moscow, and directly alleged that they were “spies”.
“British embassy staff expelled from Russia turned out to be spies,” said the channel.
“Our special services found signs of intelligence and subversive work.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Joe Biden are meeting in Washington DC today for crunch talks on the missile debate.
Putin yesterday warned that granting permission for the Ukrainians to use British and French kit to pound targets deep within Russian territory would mean war.
He said: “This would in a significant way change the very nature of the conflict… It would mean that Nato countries are at war with Russia.”
The ageing despot made the comments to Russian state-controlled TV on Thursday.
Answering a question about the probable outcome, Putin added: “If that’s the case, then taking into account the change of nature of the conflict, we will take the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face.”
But plucky Sir Keir batted away the threat saying: “Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia can end this conflict straight away.
“Ukraine has the right to self defence, and obviously we’ve been absolutely fully supportive of Ukraine’s right to self defence, providing training capabilities.
“But we don’t seek any conflict with Russia, that’s not our intention in the slightest. But they started this conflict, and Ukraine’s got a right to self defence.”
Official news agency TASS said of the diplomats: “The FSB stated that it has received documentary materials that confirm the coordination of the escalation of the international military-political situation by Great Britain.
It said “the British Foreign Office Eastern Europe Directorate… has been turned into a special service for inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.”
The FSB statement said: “The Russian Foreign Ministry, in cooperation with interested departments, terminated the accreditation of six employees of the political department of the British Embassy in Moscow, in whose actions signs of intelligence and subversive work were found.”
It added: “Subsequently, if similar actions are detected among employees of the British diplomatic mission, the FSB of Russia will demand early termination of their missions in the Russian Federation.”