Overview
- Russia’s FSB identified Gareth Samuel Davies, a second secretary at the British Embassy in Moscow, as an undeclared intelligence officer and revoked his accreditation.
- Davies has been ordered to leave Russia within 14 days under the Vienna Convention, according to the Foreign Ministry.
- Britain’s Foreign Office rejected the accusation as “malicious and baseless,” saying it is carefully weighing its options.
- UK charge d’affaires Danae Dholakia was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, spent about 15 minutes inside, and left without comment, as state media reported protesters booing her departure.
- Moscow warned of a decisive tit-for-tat response if London escalates, and multiple reports note Russian authorities have not presented public evidence, underscoring a pattern of reciprocal expulsions since 2022.