On September 16th, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced the expulsion of British defense attaché Adrian Coghill in response to London’s similar actions last week. The move comes after British Home Secretary James Cleverly declared the Russian defense attaché persona non grata and removed diplomatic status for several Moscow-related establishments in the UK, citing a “malicious act” from Russia.
Russia has described this as a politically motivated action with an anti-Russian nature that damages bilateral relations. The UK has imposed sanctions on Russian entities and individuals since Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022, and NATO members have expressed deep concern over recent activities believed to be carried out by Russia in several European countries.
In April, a British man was accused of conducting hostile acts to benefit Russia, including recruiting individuals to set fire to a Ukrainian-related commercial facility in London. The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed Britain’s accusations as completely absurd and part of an information warfare operation.
The expulsion of Coghill will not be the end of retaliation against those who initiated the escalation, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The British embassy representative in Moscow was summoned to announce this decision, though UK officials have not yet commented on Russia’s move.
