Russia Orders British Diplomat Adrian Coghill to Depart Moscow Within a Week
In an escalation of a diplomatic dispute concerning espionage, a British diplomat, Adrian Coghill, has been instructed to depart from Russia within a week.
The Russian foreign ministry cited Britain's "unfriendly anti-Russian actions" as the reason behind this decision. This move comes after London expelled the Russian defense attaché on May 8, accusing him of espionage under the guise of being an "undeclared military intelligence officer.
Russia says its response "does not end with this measure".
It added the "initiators of the escalation will be informed about further retaliatory steps".
It was inevitable following the UK's earlier announcement that Russia would declare Mr Coghill, a Royal Naval officer and Britain's defence attache based at the embassy in Moscow, persona non grata.
Russian statecraft follows closely the principle of proportionality, which means for every tit, there must be a tat.
British diplomats stationed in Moscow should anticipate additional limitations or restrictions. These developments were likely considered when the government opted to intensify measures against Russian espionage in the UK last week.
Ministers likely weighed the potential loss of Britain's defense expert at the embassy in Moscow against the benefits of disrupting Russian operations within the UK.
Writing on X, previously known as Twitter, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps called the expulsion by Russia a "desperate move".
He said Russia's only issue with Mr Coghill was that he "personified the UK's unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of his illegal and barbaric invasion".
The removal of Col Maxim Elovik was among a number of other measures announced by the Home Office, Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence - as part of plans to "tighten defences against alleged malign activity by Russia" across Europe.
In April, five people were charged over conspiring to commit espionage activities in the UK on behalf of Russia under the National Security Act, the first prosecutions of this kind under the new laws.
Another of the measures included the removal of diplomatic premises status from several Russian properties in the UK - including in Sussex and Highgate, which officials believe had been used for "intelligence purposes".
Russian diplomatic visas were also affected, with restrictions including a cap on the length of time holders can spend in the UK.
Last week, Home Secretary James Cleverly said Moscow would make accusations of "Russophobia" while spreading "conspiracy theories and hysteria".
It seems that Col Maxim Elovik has been in the UK since at least 2014. Before his assignment in London, Col Elovik worked as an assistant military attaché at Russia's embassy in Washington DC.
