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This story is from January 24, 2006
Russia accuses UK of espionage
Britain and Russia are embroiled in a war of words over an alleged spy ring operating out of the UK embassy in Moscow.
LONDON: In an apparent return to Cold War-style conspiracy, espionage and intrigue, albeit with high-tech 21st-century gizmos, Britain and Russia are embroiled in a war of words over an alleged spy ring operating out of the UK embassy in Moscow, where an imitation rock doubled up as a dead drop for classified data.
Russia's government-run television broadcast the allegations, which were made by the FSB, the KGB's successor.
The alleged British spies then walked past the rock, downloading data from its transmitter on to palm-top computers.
The British spy ring, the Russians claimed, included four UK embassy officials and one Russian citizen, allegedly recruited by the British s ecret service.
Late on Monday, prime minister Tony Blair jokily addressed the issue by trotting out "the stock reply of never commenting on security matters, unless we want to, of course". Britain's foreign office was quick to deny the extraordinary allegations.
A British official said, "We are concerned and surprised... We reject any allegation of improper conduct in our dealing with Russian NGOs." The foreign office also declined to say whether any official complaint had been received from the authorities in Moscow.
The outbreak of a row over spying comes just three weeks after Russia controversially assumed presidency of the G8 group of most industrialised economies for the first time ever.
The latest Russian accusations are seen to be a tit-for-tat diplomatic dance in a year that seen a return to Cold War-style allegations of intrigue.
Last May, London rounded on Moscow for allegedly stepping up spying activity in the UK.
Russia's government-run television broadcast the allegations, which were made by the FSB, the KGB's successor.
The Russian intelligence officers alleged that British agents had planted a transmitter in an imitation rock on a Moscow street.
The alleged British spies then walked past the rock, downloading data from its transmitter on to palm-top computers.
The British spy ring, the Russians claimed, included four UK embassy officials and one Russian citizen, allegedly recruited by the British s ecret service.
FSB officials said on Monday that the British "diplomats were shown to be involved in activities that were incompatible with their diplomatic status", a classic diplomatic euphemism for spying.
Late on Monday, prime minister Tony Blair jokily addressed the issue by trotting out "the stock reply of never commenting on security matters, unless we want to, of course". Britain's foreign office was quick to deny the extraordinary allegations.
A British official said, "We are concerned and surprised... We reject any allegation of improper conduct in our dealing with Russian NGOs." The foreign office also declined to say whether any official complaint had been received from the authorities in Moscow.
The outbreak of a row over spying comes just three weeks after Russia controversially assumed presidency of the G8 group of most industrialised economies for the first time ever.
The latest Russian accusations are seen to be a tit-for-tat diplomatic dance in a year that seen a return to Cold War-style allegations of intrigue.
Last May, London rounded on Moscow for allegedly stepping up spying activity in the UK.
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