Vladimir Putin has spoken, and the two UK workers accused of espionage must obey. Two workers from the UK embassy in Russia were labeled as a threat to Russia’s national security. The two individuals have been warned to leave the country in two weeks. This incident comes after a Russian spy ring was exposed in Britain.
The spy ring was led by Orlin Roussev, a city tech worker. The group of spies that Roussev led used plotted honeypot stings to carry out missions on behalf of Russia. The group consisted of six Bulgarian spies who took up missions across Europe on behalf of Putin.
The U.S. Sun reports that the spy ring was recruited to target the Russian leader’s opponents and help with the “Russian war effort against Ukraine.” The group of spies reportedly conducted “surveillance and intelligence operations” in the UK for more than three years.
Metropolitan Police head of counter-terrorism Commander Dominic Murphy opened up about the investigation after the spies were arrested. Murphy revealed that the group was spying on an “industrial scale” for the “Russian intelligence services.”
The UK exposing Russia’s spy ring had left enough of a crack in international relations between the two nations. The matter got worse when Russia accused two British embassy workers of being spies.
Russian news agency TAAS revealed that Putin has asked the two British Diplomats to leave the country within two weeks. The two workers allegedly declared false information about themselves while entering Russia. The UK nationals have been accused of “intelligence and subversive activities that threaten Russia’s security.”
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Kremlin security services revealed that the two will have their “accreditation” stripped away before they return to the U.K. A British Foreign Office spokesperson spoke to The U.S. Sun to call Russia out on their “baseless” claims.
“This is not the first time that Russia has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff,” the source alleged. Russia’s foreign ministry has addressed the discovery while noting that “uncompromising line on this issue.”
They also warned how Moscow would not “tolerate” the “undeclared British intelligence officers” residing in Russian territory. The ministry instructed British citizens to provide “reliable and complete” information about themselves when applying for a Russian visa.
“A warning was also made that if London escalates the situation, the Russian side will give a decisive ‘mirror’ response,” Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
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This comes days after Putin’s allies issued a warning to British and Irish troops. Dmitry Rogozin, who has served as the head of Russian Space Agency warned them of the consequences if they were to assist Ukraine in the ongoing war. He reportedly said, “Don’t ignore the glorious Irish with the blue plume on their hats, by which our snipers will be pleased to count them in the shabby Zaporizhzhia forest regiments.”
