Britain will expel Russia’s defense attaché for intelligence espionage and restrict diplomatic visas

Britain said on Wednesday it would expel Russia’s defense attaché, remove diplomatic status from some properties and limit the length of Russian diplomatic visas.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said the move followed a pattern of malign activity from Russia in Britain and Europe.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia will give an “appropriate response” to Britain’s decision to expel Russia’s defense attaché, the RIA news agency reported.

In April, a British man was indicted for alleged hostile state activities intended to benefit Russia, including recruiting others to carry out an arson attack on a Ukraine-linked commercial property in London.

“We will expel the Russian defense attaché, who is an undeclared military intelligence officer,” British Home Secretary James Cleverly told parliament.

“We will remove the status of diplomatic buildings from several Russia-linked properties in Britain. We are imposing new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas, including limiting the amount of time Russian diplomats can spend in Britain.”