STORY
The Foreign Office has summoned the Russian ambassador to London and revoked the accreditation of a Russian diplomat, in a reciprocal move after Russia expelled a British diplomat last month, the government said on Monday 2 February 2026.
In a statement, a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said the UK “condemns in the strongest possible terms” what it called Russia’s “unprovoked and unjustified” decision and “baseless accusations” against British embassy staff, adding that a senior official told the ambassador the UK would not tolerate intimidation of its diplomats. The action comes amid continuing strains in UK-Russia relations, with London warning that further steps by Moscow would be treated as an escalation and met with a response