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Russia expels four U.K. diplomats

Vladimir Radyuhin

VOCIFEROUS PROTEST: Leader of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party Vladimir Zhirinovsky uses a microphone as he and other party members picket the British embassy in downtown Moscow on Thursday. - PHOTO: AP

MOSCOW: Russia will expel four British diplomats and will break off anti-terror ties with the U.K. in what appeared to be a restrained tit-for-tat for British sanctions announced three days earlier.

In a reaction to the “unfriendly and provocative acts” by the United Kingdom, “four diplomats at the British embassy in Moscow have been declared persona non-grata and have 10 days to leave Russian territory,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said in Moscow on Thursday.

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband told Parliament in London on July 16 that he was expelling four Russian diplomats over Russia’s refusal to extradite businessman Andrei Lugovoi, the main suspect in the murder of former Russian security officer Alexander Litvinenko.

“The measures taken by the British Foreign Office make it impossible, to our great regret, further cooperation with the U.K. in combating terrorism,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said. London had earlier said it would suspend all contacts with Russia’s main counter-terrorism agency, FSB.

The exchange of diplomatic blows signalled the worst crisis between Russia and the U.K. since the end of the Cold War, but Moscow stressed it was not to blame and sought to keep the showdown from spinning out of control.

“We were forced to take these steps given the deliberate decision in London to worsen relations with us,” the Russian spokesman said.

The Russian reaction was “targeted, balanced and the minimum that was required.”

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said earlier that Britain had refused to extradite any of the 21 people sought by Russia since 2002.

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