U.K. to expel 4 Russian diplomats in spy flap

Response likely
Russia bristled at British criticism of its war in Chechnya, and later was irate at Britain’s refusal to extradite Chechen separatist envoy Akhmed Zakayev and Boris Berezovsky, the tycoon and one-time Kremlin insider who fell out with Putin and obtained asylum in Britain.

In 2006, Russia accused four British diplomats of spying and funneling funds to non-governmental organizations critical of Putin’s government.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who pursued closer relations with the West, said the expulsion order was a mistake.

“There have already been such instances in the history of our joint relations. They didn’t lead to anything good,” he was quoted as saying by the news agency Interfax.

One senior British diplomat, who demanded anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said he hoped Russia would not react by jeopardizing delicate discussions over the future of Kosovo or Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Moscow would likely respond by expelling three British diplomats, said Oleg Gordievski, a former KGB defector to Britain.

'Very chilly' relations
Litvinenko’s widow Marina said in a statement that she was grateful for the government’s stand.

“It makes me proud to be a U.K. citizen because I can see that my strong faith in the British authorities was well-founded and that they too share my determination,” she said.

Litvinenko’s friend Alex Goldfarb said the British action was encouraging.

“Hopefully this strong response will be the beginning of a policy change,” Goldfarb said. “The murder of Litvinenko was made possible by years of appeasement of Putin’s regime by Western governments.”

Russia’s ambassador to London met with Sir Peter Ricketts, a senior aide to Miliband, shortly before lawmakers were told of the measures being taken against Moscow.

Britain and Russia last clashed over diplomatic expulsions in March 1996, when Moscow expelled nine British diplomats alleging that they were part of a spy ring. Britain kicked out four Russians in response.

“If anyone was under the illusion that the Gordon Brown government would take a softer stance on Russia than its predecessor, they no longer should be,” said Andrew Kuchins, director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

“While we most definitely are not in a new Cold War, it is very chilly in Russian-British relations,” he said.

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