The United Kingdom said it would expel Maxim Elovik, Russia’s defense attache to the country, accusing him of espionage. The decision was announced today by the British government along with other measures it called a “Russian intelligence gathering operation.”
Defense Attaché is a national defense representative post that is part of a diplomatic commission in another country.
In addition to the expulsions, London decided to remove the diplomatic status of several Russian assets on suspicion that they were used “for intelligence purposes”. It would also impose new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas, such as limiting the time a Russian diplomat can stay in the country. The British government summoned Russia’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Andrei Kelin, to brief him on the measures.
The British government said in a statement that the actions were the latest in a series of tough measures taken against Russia in the wake of “malign activities” allegedly linked to Russia. The statement cited as an example the case of six Bulgarian citizens who were accused of plotting espionage activities in the United Kingdom on behalf of Russia.
“Since the illegal invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s efforts to undermine the security of the United Kingdom and Europe have intensified,” British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said in the statement.
