Moscow declares AT Coghill persona non grata in response to the expulsion from London of the Russian defense attaché on espionage charges.
Russia declared the UK defense attaché persona non grata and gave the diplomat a week to leave the country in response to the expulsion from London of the Russian defense attaché earlier this month on espionage charges.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had summoned a representative of the British Embassy in Moscow on Thursday to express its “strong protest regarding the hostile and unfounded decision” to expel the Russian attaché from London.
“We emphasize that we consider this step to be a politically motivated action of a clearly Russophobic nature, which is causing irreparable damage to bilateral relations,” the statement said.
“The defense attaché at the British Embassy in Moscow, AT Coghill, has been declared persona non grata. He must leave the territory of the Russian Federation within a week,” the ministry said.
UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps called Russia’s expulsion of Coghill “a desperate measure.”
“Although the Russian prosecutor’s office in the UK acted as spies, Putin’s only problem with ours was that they personified the UK’s unwavering support for Ukraine,” Shapps said.
The United Kingdom announced on May 8 several measures to target Moscow’s intelligence gathering operations in the United Kingdom.
These included the expulsion of Maxim Elovik, a Russian colonel who the British government called an “undeclared military intelligence officer”, the termination of the diplomatic status of several Russian-owned properties because they were believed to have been used for intelligence purposes, and the imposition of new restrictions on Russia. visas and diplomatic visits.
The government said the measures followed criminal proceedings in London alleging espionage and sabotage by people acting on Russia’s behalf.
It also cited allegations that the Russian government planned to sabotage military aid to Ukraine in Germany and Poland and carried out espionage in Bulgaria and Italy, along with cyber and disinformation activities, airspace violations and interference of GPS signals to hinder the civil air traffic.
The United Kingdom has had a difficult relationship with Russia for years, accusing its agents of targeted killings and espionage, including cyberattacks targeting British parliamentarians and leaking and amplifying sensitive information to serve Russian interests.
After Russia sent troops to Ukraine, the United Kingdom also sanctioned hundreds of wealthy Russians and moved to crack down on money laundering through London’s property and financial markets.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
