Britain expels 23 Russian diplomats in response to ‘barbaric’ attack on spy
BRITAIN will expel 23 Russian spies as part of its “full and robust response” to the “barbaric” poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, Theresa May announced yesterday.
The Prime Minister said Russia was guilty of “an unlawful use of force” against the UK and it was time to “send a clear message” to Vladimir Putin.
She said: “Many of us looked at a post-soviet Russia with hope. We wanted a better relationship and it is tragic that President Putin has chosen to act in this way. But we will not tolerate the threat to life of British people and others on British soil from the Russian government. Nor will we tolerate such a flagrant breach of Russia’s international obligations.”
After a meeting of the National Security Council, which includes the heads of MI5, MI6, GCHQ and the Armed Forces, Mrs May announced the most wide-ranging sanctions against Russia since the Cold War.
Russian spies sent home
Britain will expel 23 Russian diplomats identified as “undeclared intelligence officers”, Mrs May announced. They have one week to leave.
The Prime Minister said: “Through these expulsions we will fundamentally degrade Russian intelligence capability in the UK for years to come. And if they seek to rebuild it, we will prevent them from doing so.”
It is the single biggest expulsion since 1985, when 31 Russians were deported in a tit-for-tat diplomatic row following the exposure of Oleg Gordievsky, a double agent and the KGB’S bureau chief in London.
Mrs May said it “reflects the fact that this is not the first time that the Russian State has acted against our country”.
Four suspected spies were expelled after the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, the Russian dissident, in 2006.
The mass expulsion will account for almost half the 48 diplomats registered with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by the Russian Embassy. They are likely to include Colonel Mikhail Ivanov, the military attaché, and six assistant military attachés, including two colonels, a Lt Col, a naval captain and a naval commander. Alexander Yakovenko, the Russian ambassador, will not be expelled, as Mrs May said, “it is not in our national interest to break off all dialogue between the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation”.
Will cyber attacks be next?
Mrs May made it clear that she is willing to deploy Britain’s military and intelligence capabilities to take secret action against Russia, leading to speculation that it could include targeted cyber attacks.
The Prime Minister told MPS: “We will deploy a range of tools from across the full breadth of our national security apparatus in order to counter the threats of hostile state activity.
“While I have set out some of those measures today, members on all sides will understand that there are some that cannot be shared publicly.”
A senior Government official said: “Although we have announced this response, further options remain on the table: economic, diplomatic, legislative and our security capabilities can all be brought to bear.”
Passing ‘Magnitsky law’
Mrs May will extend powers currently used to stop terrorists at the border to include anyone suspected of “hostile state activity” or human rights abuses, in order to keep agents of Vladimir Putin’s regime out of the country.
On Monday the Government will table an amendment to the forthcoming Sanctions Bill that will effectively mirror America’s so-called Magnitsky Act.
Named after Sergei Magnitsky, a
Russian lawyer killed in a
Moscow prison in
2009, it prohibits Russians and others suspected of human rights abuses from entering the country or using the banking system. It is designed to hit wealthy allies of Mr Putin and put pressure on his regime by turning oligarchs into international pariahs who cannot travel or invest outside Russia.
Asset seizures
Britain will step up its seizure of corrupt money and possessions from Russian criminals who have previously treated the UK as a safe haven for their assets. Greater use will be made of unexplained wealth orders – part of the Criminal Finances Act – which allow the Government to seize cash and assets that suspected criminals cannot account for.
Vince Cable, the Lib Dem leader, urged Mrs May to take action against Igor Shuvalov, Russia’s first deputy prime minister, who he said owns a £12 million flat overlooking the Ministry of Defence.
Russian state assets will also be frozen wherever there is evidence that they may be used “to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents”.
Mrs May said: “To those who seek to do us harm, my message is simple: you are not welcome here.”
Suspension of diplomacy
Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, will no longer speak to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, after Mrs May suspended all “high level bilateral contact” between Russia and the UK.
Mrs May said that until now, Britain’s approach had been “engage but beware”, but “in the aftermath of this appalling act against our country, this relationship cannot be the same”.
Mr Johnson visited Moscow last year but the invitation he gave Mr Lavrov for a reciprocal visit to the UK has now been revoked.
Mrs May will no longer engage with President Putin, presenting logistical problems for the G20 meeting in Argentina in November.
The Prime Minister also confirmed for the first time that no Government ministers or members of the Royal family will travel to the World Cup in Russia this summer. It means the Duke of Cambridge, who is President of the Football Association, will boycott the tournament, even though the FA still intends to send the England team to compete.
International solidarity
Building an international coalition of support for tough sanctions against Russia is a crucial part of Mrs May’s response to the Salisbury attack. She has spoken to Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron of France and Angela Merkel of Germany, who have all agreed to support the UK.