Six British Diplomats Expelled: New Details from Russian Media and the FSB
Russian media has provided substantial additional details on the six diplomats and what they are accused of doing.
On September 13, 2024, the FSB (Federal Security Service of Russia) announced the revocation of accreditation for six British diplomats, accusing them of engaging in espionage and subversive activities. This incident has garnered considerable attention in Russian media, with detailed reports outlining the counter-surveillance tactics employed by the diplomats and their efforts to evade detection by Russian intelligence. The FSB stated: "The facts revealed provide grounds to consider the activities of British diplomats sent to Moscow by the directorate as a threat to the security of the Russian Federation.” This post will dive deeper into the story, analyzing Russian media sources and intelligence reports to shed light on the activities of these diplomats and their significance in the broader geopolitical context.
The Diplomats: Who Are They?
Russian state media, such as Rossiya-24, and platforms like KP.ru, have named the six diplomats involved. Three are women; three are men. (We will not name them here so as to not add to the degradation of their cover.) All were members of the British Embassy’s political section.
“Espionage and Subversive Activities:” What Were They Doing?
The FSB has accused these diplomats of operating under the guise of legitimate diplomatic work while coordinating intelligence activities aimed at destabilizing Russia. According to reports in Gazeta.ru and Lenta.ru, the British diplomats were involved in intelligence gathering, establishing contacts with opposition figures, and working closely with NGOs that Russia has labeled as “foreign agents.”
A critical part of the FSB’s accusations relates to the diplomats’ use of sophisticated counter-surveillance techniques.
The report quotes an FSB officer as saying that Russian special services are "tired of tolerating this circus" in the form of jogging along the Third Transport Ring across Moscow and through forest parks, one-day visits to neighboring cities "to sit for a few hours on a bench in the bitter cold," or multiple changes of public transport and taxis to hide a visit to "some gathering of NGO foreign agents."
The report also says that Britain sends spies as spouses of diplomats, and that young children are used to cover up espionage operations.
British diplomats, in particular, held meetings with representatives of Novaya Gazeta (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation) , the NGO Civil Assistance (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation) , and the International Memorial Society (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation and liquidated) .
The FSB’s report highlights how British intelligence has allegedly turned Moscow into a hub of espionage, with the goal of inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia. The Directorate for Eastern Europe and Central Asia within the UK’s Foreign Office has been singled out as the orchestrator of these activities, described in Russian reports as functioning essentially like an intelligence agency since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine .
Russian Perspective: Tightening Control
Russian authorities have portrayed the expulsion of these diplomats as a necessary step to protect national security. The Russian media has emphasized the meticulous nature of the surveillance on these individuals, portraying them as engaging in classic espionage maneuvers. Russian outlets like KP.ru and Gazeta.ru have noted that despite repeated warnings, the British embassy allegedly persisted in conducting these intelligence-gathering activities.
Intelligence Insights: A Broader Picture
Comment: The descriptions of vehicle changes, jogging through parks, and the diplomats’ association with opposition figures reflect time-tested espionage tradecraft. It’s notable that Russian counterintelligence still employs extensive physical surveillance, combined with newer technologies, to track foreign operatives. The Russian claim that the Directorate for Eastern Europe and Central Asia is the unit responsible makes me wonder if this is the MI6 unit within the British Embassy, or somethign else. The type of meetings they were conducting — with NGOs etc — is not really consistent with what I would explect MI6 to be doing. To put it in the US context, this is more in line with what USIS (US Information Service) personnel would do, or political officers — but then, the allegations of tradecraft do seem to be consistent with intelligence operations.
Conclusion: A Strategic Expulsion
The expulsion comes at a time of increasing tension as the US has indicated it may give a green light to Ukraine to use Western supplied long range missiles to target Moscow. Putin has responded with a “red line” statement saying that this would not be acceptable to Moscow and would be tantamount to the US and the West entering the war. It is unclear if there is a direct connection between the expulsions and Putin’s statement —but it is clear that both signal a heightened level of tension.