Russia expels four British diplomats in tit-for-tat measure

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Four British diplomats named by the Kremlin as spies have been expelled as Russia retaliated in the Litvinenko murder affair.

Moscow declared them "persona non grata" - not welcome - and suspended cooperation on the fight against terrorism.

But the sanctions fell far short of the threats issued over the past three days by Valdimir Putin's government, prompting speculation that he has backed down.

A row that left relations between the two countries at their worst since the Cold War eased after Moscow pulled back from the brink.

The British government is demanding Russia extradite Andrei Lugovoy, right, to stand trial for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, left. The row has sparked a diplomatic rift

Last night Mr Putin appeared to hold out an olive branch by announcing the two countries could overcome what he called a "mini-crisis".

The Russian leader had initially promised "the most serious consequences", including the ejection of up to 80 British diplomats.

Moscow was furious over Gordon Brown's decision to kick out four Russian diplomats in London in protest at the Kremlin's refusal to extradite a suspected killer.

Mr Putin has refused to hand over Andrei Logovoy, a former KGB bodyguard identified as the chief suspect in the radiation poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko.

Yesterday Russia remained adamant that it would not allow Mr Lugovoy to be sent to Britain for trial.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has taken retaliatory measures against Britain by expelling four British diplomats

Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who was winning plaudits for the way he has handled the first test in his new job, last night expressed disappointment over what he said were the "completely unjustified" expulsions of British officials.

And the Prime Minister's spokesman said: "As the Foreign Secretary made clear, we are disappointed with the response. We think the action they have taken is completely unjustified and we will continue to take this matter forward with the international community over the next weeks."

Last night a high-stakes gamble by Mr Brown and Foreign Secretary David Miliband appeared to be paying off, as Mr Putin said "common sense" would prevail.

"I think relations between Russia and Britain will develop normally because both countries are interested in this," he said.

And Government sources expressed private relief that the Russian response had been less severe than expected.

Russia anounced that it would also stop issuing visas to British officials and cease cooperation on counter-terorism.

But Whitehall sources claimed cooperation with Moscow on terrorism issues was fairly limited, and revealed that Britain had told Russia privately earlier this week that it would not longer have contact with the FSB - the successor to the KGB.

The FSB has a cooperation agreement with the FBI, but no such formal agreement exists with MI5.

And the Russians are at odds with Britain and the US over Iraq and Afghanistan, where they blame coalition forces for the chaos that led to the kidnapping and murder of five Russian embassy staff in Baghdad last year.

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Exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky, in the foreground, speaks at a press conference yesterday where he accused Russia of being behind a plot to assassinate him

Foreign Ministry chief spokesman Mikhail Kamynin told reporters the British ambassador had been summoned and handed a note "in connection with the unfriendly actions of Britain towards Russia".

He said: "Four British embassy staff in Moscow are now persona non grata and they should leave the territory of the Russian Federation within 10 days."

He did not identify the diplomats, but Russian sources they played a role in the "spy rock" revelations last year, when the Kremlin accused MI6 agents of using a transmitter hidden in a fake rock in a Moscow park to pass confidential information.

The anti-Kremlin emigre, who became a British citizen, died a lingering death after his tea was poisoned with radioactive polonium during a meeting in a London hotel last year. British security sources beleive he was the victim of a Russian hit squad.

Russian officials have responded indignantly to British suggestions that they should change their constitution to accomodate the request, pointing out that Britain has turned down numerous Russian extradition requests in recent years. Mr Lugovoy denies the charges and blames British intelligence for the murder of Mr Litvinenko.

Britain won the support of the European Union and the United States. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on Russia to "cooperate fully".

The spat between Russia and Britain, who last expelled each other's diplomats in 1996 in a spying row, follows months of deteriorating relations over Britain's hosting of anti-Kremlin emigres who are wanted by Moscow.

London-based billionaire businessman Boris Berezovsky, one of Putin's fiercest critics, on Wednesday accused the Kremlin of trying to kill him after British police said they had arrested and deported a Russian man in connection with a plot to kill Berezovsky.

 

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