Russia Expels British Diplomat Over Allegations of Economic Espionage and Subversion

Russia's FSB ordered the expulsion of British diplomat Albertus Gerhardus Janse van Rensburg on Monday, March 30, accusing the 29-year-old second secretary at the British Embassy in Moscow of economic espionage and "intelligence and subversive activities" threatening Russian national security. The agency said its counterintelligence officers had uncovered signs that Janse van Rensburg had attempted to obtain sensitive information about the Russian economy during informal meetings with Russian economic experts. The FSB also alleged that the diplomat had intentionally provided false information when applying for permission to enter Russia. Janse van Rensburg was ordered to leave the Russian Federation within two weeks following the revocation of his accreditation. According to Russian state television, he was the 16th British diplomat to be expelled from Moscow in two years.

London calls the charges "complete nonsense" The FCDO rejected the Russian accusations in unambiguous terms, with a Foreign Office spokesman describing them as "complete nonsense." The UK accused Russia of conducting "an increasingly aggressive and coordinated campaign of harassment against British diplomats" and said Moscow was "pumping out malicious and completely baseless accusations about their work." The Foreign Office added that the United Kingdom would not tolerate "intimidation of British embassy staff and their families." The chargé d'affaires at the British Embassy in Moscow, Danae Dholakia, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry to receive what Moscow described as a "decisive protest" over the incident. Dholakia reportedly left the ministry without comment. „Russia has been pumping out malicious and completely baseless accusations about their work” — UK Foreign Office spokesman via BBC

FSB warns Russians to avoid all contact with British diplomats Alongside the expulsion, the FSB issued a sweeping public warning urging Russian citizens to refrain from holding any meetings with British diplomats, including at the embassy itself, without prior authorization from the Russian Foreign Ministry. The agency stated that unauthorized contact could lead to "negative consequences, including criminal liability." The warning is likely to further restrict the already severely curtailed operations of the British Embassy in Moscow, which, like other Western missions, has been operating at reduced staffing levels following multiple rounds of mutual expulsions since 2022. Russia has also introduced criminal penalties for "confidential cooperation with a foreign state" since the start of the war, a measure legal experts say potentially criminalizes contact with any foreigner. Independent human rights group Memorial reported that since August of last year, Russian authorities had upgraded charges against at least 13 people under that statute to the more serious offense of state treason, which carries an average sentence of nearly 13 years. 13 (years) — average sentence for state treason in Russia

Expulsion follows a pattern of tit-for-tat diplomatic clashes Monday's expulsion is the latest episode in a prolonged series of reciprocal diplomatic measures between Moscow and London. Earlier in 2026, Russia expelled another British diplomat over spying allegations, and London responded by revoking the accreditation of a Russian diplomat. In March 2025, Russia expelled two British officials on espionage charges, prompting the UK to revoke accreditation for a Russian diplomat and a diplomatic spouse. Russian state television reported that Janse van Rensburg was the 16th British diplomat expelled from Moscow in two years, underscoring the scale of the deterioration in bilateral ties. In November 2025, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service publicly labeled the United Kingdom its main enemy and a "global war instigator," according to reporting cited by Polish outlet Forsal. Relations between the two countries have been severely strained since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with the UK providing Ukraine with financial and military support, including Storm Shadow missiles — weapons Moscow accused British specialists of helping to operate during a March 10 Ukrainian strike on the Kremniy El microelectronics plant in Bryansk.

Diplomatic expulsions between Russia and Western countries accelerated sharply after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The UK has consistently supported Ukraine with weapons and funding, and has accused Russian intelligence of mounting cyberattacks, killings, and sabotage campaigns across the Western world. Russia has in turn accused British intelligence of operating at levels of espionage activity unseen since the Cold War. US, UK, and European embassies in Russia have all operated at reduced staffing levels following successive rounds of mutual expulsions since 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech to the FSB last month that he wanted the agency to "more actively expose and stop the activity of foreign intelligence officers and their recruited agents."

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