Russia expels second British diplomat over alleged economic espionage

The second secretary at the British Embassy in Moscow, Janse Gerardus, has been accused by Russia’s FSB of conducting intelligence activities aimed at obtaining information on the Russian economy.

According to the FSB’s Public Relations Center, when entering Russia, Janse van Rensburg Albertus Gerardus, born in 1996, “intentionally provided false information,” per Russian media. 

He later attempted to gather sensitive data during “informal meetings with Russian economic experts.”

The diplomat has been stripped of his accreditation and ordered to leave Russia within two weeks, the FSB added.

By Khagan Isayev