Moscow has taken significant action against a British diplomat, issuing an order for his expulsion amidst escalating tensions over the situation in Ukraine.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), which serves as the nation’s primary domestic security and counterintelligence agency, publicly claimed that the diplomat, Edward Pryor Wilkes, presented fraudulent personal information when attempting to enter Russia.
The FSB accused Wilkes of operating under diplomatic cover for British intelligence and suggested that he replaced one of the six other British diplomats who were previously expelled from Russia in August.
According to the FSB, Wilkes allegedly engaged in “intelligence and subversive activities” that posed a threat to the security of the Russian state.

A spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, announced the decision to revoke Wilkes’ accreditation and instructed him to exit the country within two weeks.
Additionally, she mentioned that the British ambassador was summoned to receive the formal notice of expulsion.
In response to the situation, the U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office did not provide an immediate statement.

In a related context, the Russian government had expelled six British diplomats in September, a move taken just a few weeks prior to this announcement.
Moscow attributed these expulsions to allegations of espionage, which the U.K. has dismissed as entirely unfounded.
The diplomatic relations between Russia and NATO countries have deteriorated sharply, characterized by multiple rounds of reciprocal expulsions as tensions have reached their highest levels since the Cold War era, particularly following Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine in February 2024.