Russia has expelled a British diplomat for alleged “espionage”.

“An employee of the British Embassy in Moscow has been stripped of his accreditation for providing false information when entering the Russian Federation,” the TASS state news agency said, citing the FSB security service.

The FSB alleged that there were indications that he had been carrying out “intelligence and subversive” activities that threatened Russia’s national security. He has been ordered to leave the country within two weeks

Russia’s foreign ministry said it had summoned the British ambassador in relation to the diplomat’s expulsion.

Diplomatic rows and expulsions have become increasingly common since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. 

Senior British diplomats appeared to be “harassed” by a mob at a Moscow airport in October in a reported FSB-staged stunt. 

In September, Britain summoned the Russian ambassador over the expulsion of six British diplomats from Moscow. 

The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.