Russian diplomat expelled from UK for alleged spying

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

Britain's troubled relations with Moscow suffered another blow today when William Hague announced he had expelled a Russian diplomat in London following "clear evidence" of Russian spying.

In a brief statement this afternoon, the foreign secretary said he had asked the Russian embassy in London to "withdraw a member of their staff from the UK". The ultimatum issued on 10 December "was in response to clear evidence of activities by the Russian intelligence services against UK interests," Hague said.

Russia responded on 16 December by expelling a British diplomat from the British embassy in Moscow, Hague said. He added: "We reject any basis for this action." Both staff members have now been withdrawn from their respective missions.

No further details were given, but today's tit-for-tat expulsions are apparently not linked to Katia Zatuliveter, the 25-year-old Russian researcher working for the Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/21/russia

[JackRiddler]

1. I thought "everybody does it" and it's no biggie that the State Department...

wants to steal Ban Ki Moon's DNA, computer passwords and credit card numbers.