Russia vows retaliation after UK’s expulsion of defense attaché

Moscow has vowed to give an “appropriate response” to Britain’s expelling Russia’s defense attaché.

On Wednesday, Home Secretary James Cleverly told Parliament that London would declare Russia’s defense attaché persona non grata over alleged espionage, calling the Russian official “an undeclared military intelligence officer.”

He also said the British government would remove diplomatic status from some Russian properties in the UK that London believed have been used to purported gather intelligence.

Cleverly said London would also impose limit the length of visas granted to Russian diplomats, saying all measure would be adopted in response to Moscow’s alleged “malign activity.”

Later in the day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow would certainly retaliate against London’s decision in expelling Russian attaché through an “appropriate response.”

In April, a British man was charged, among others, over allegedly recruiting others for an arson attack on a Ukrainian-linked commercial property in London, which claims that the citizen’s hostile state activity intended to benefit Russia.

Zakharova said British allegations of Moscow’s involvement in the arson attack were “absurd” and part of an information war.

Russia restricts movements of British diplomats in response to 'hostile actions'

Russia says the measures were in response to the "hostile actions" of London, a key ally of Ukraine.

Zakharova also said Russia has the right to strike British facilities in Ukraine and outside that country if London threats that Kiev may carry out attacks with British weapons on Russian territory materialize.

“If such a scenario is implemented, our country, Russia, reserves the right to respond accordingly, that is, to regard as targets British facilities located both in Ukraine and outside its borders: military facilities, weapons, and so on.”

Zakharova was referring to remarks by UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron that London considered it legitimate for Ukraine to use British weapons for strikes on Russian territory.

She slammed his comments as “something absolutely insane.”

“This statement is not only illegitimate but also illogical, because Britain itself stated literally the opposite not so long ago,” Zakharova said.

Since Russia waged its “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022, the UK has imposed several waves of sanctions on Russian companies and individuals saying London would not falter in its support of Kiev.

Russia sees the flooding of Ukraine with weapons from the West, including the UK, since the onset of the ongoing conflict as a futile effort to change the outcome of the war. Moscow says supplying Kiev with more weapons will only add to the death and destruction and prolong the war.

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