Russia's FSB internal security agency said on Thursday that it had detained a former guard at the British Embassy in Moscow who collected personal data on British diplomats, alleging that he had been working for Ukrainian intelligence.
The agency said the data collection was part of preparations for a Ukrainian false-flag operation against British diplomatic staff in Russia, aimed at accusing Russia of hostile actions at a later stage.
British man accused of spying on drone factories for Russia
Also on Thursday, a British man appeared in a London court after being accused of providing information about factories that manufacture drones and offering to sabotage them on behalf of Russian intelligence.
Joshua Cammidge, 31, has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service and preparing an act of sabotage after contact with the GRU Volunteer Corps, which prosecutors said was controlled by Russia's GRU military intelligence agency.
Relations between Britain and Russia have deteriorated sharply since Moscow launched its military action in Ukraine in 2022. Moscow sees Britain as Ukraine's main backer in the four-and-a-half-year conflict.
Russia warned last month it could strike British military targets in response to Ukrainian attacks that use British-supplied long-range missiles.
"Russia is constantly probing us and testing us," British defense minister Wes Streeting told lawmakers on Thursday.