‘Won’t Tolerate Intimidation’: UK Expels Russian Diplomat In Tit-For-Tat Move

Last Updated:February 02, 2026, 21:27 IST

UK retaliates against Russia’s January expulsion of British diplomat, saying it will not accept intimidation of embassy staff.

London revokes accreditation of Russian diplomat after Moscow expelled a British envoy last month, warning further actions will be treated as escalation. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

The United Kingdom on Monday revoked the accreditation of a Russian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move after Moscow expelled a British envoy last month, marking the latest escalation in already frozen relations between the two countries.

Confirming the decision, the UK foreign ministry said it would not tolerate any intimidation of its diplomatic staff. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified decision to expel a British diplomat last month and its baseless accusations against our staff," a spokesperson said.

A senior British official summoned the Russian ambassador and made it clear that London would not stand for harassment or pressure tactics against its embassy personnel. “We will not tolerate intimidation of our staff," the spokesperson added.

“It is deeply disappointing that Russia continually seeks to disrupt the work of the UK’s diplomatic missions and deter our support for Ukraine," the statement said, warning that any further action by Moscow would be treated as an escalation and met with a firm response.

Monday’s move follows Russia’s decision on January 15 to expel a British diplomat from Moscow. At the time, the Russian foreign ministry summoned the UK’s charge d’affaires, issued what it called a “strong protest," and announced that it was revoking the accreditation of Gareth Samuel Davies, a British embassy official.

Moscow alleged that Davies belonged to the UK intelligence service, an accusation London immediately rejected as “malicious" and “baseless." Russia ordered him to leave the country within two weeks and warned Britain not to retaliate, pledging a “firm symmetrical response" if London did so.

The UK had said it was “carefully considering its options," making Monday’s expulsion the expected response under long-established diplomatic practice.

Relations between London and Moscow have been at a historic low for years and deteriorated sharply after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Britain has since emerged as one of Kyiv’s strongest military and political backers, further angering the Kremlin.

The two countries have expelled each other’s embassy staff multiple times in recent years amid repeated accusations of espionage and interference. Diplomatic ties were already severely strained even before the Ukraine war, with tensions dating back to incidents such as the 2006 poisoning of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko in London and the 2018 Novichok attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.

Since the Ukraine conflict began, direct communication between Downing Street and the Kremlin has effectively collapsed. The last known conversation between a British prime minister and Russian President Vladimir Putin took place in February 2022, days before Moscow launched its invasion.

(with AFP inputs)

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