RUSSIA: 9 BRITISH DIPLOMATS ACCUSED OF SPYING TO BE EXPELLED

Описание: (7 May 1996) English/Nat

Russia has said its to expel nine British diplomats whom it has accused of spying.

It follows the arrest in Moscow Monday of a Russian citizen accused of spying for Britain.

NATO ambassadors arrived at the British Embassy in Moscow this morning for what the embassy described as a "routine meeting".

But Moscow's spying allegations were undoubtedly high on the agenda for their talks.

The British government has threatened to take retaliatory action if Russia does not back down on its threat to expel nine British diplomats.

The British Ambassador to Moscow was yesterday (Monday) summoned to the Foreign Ministry and informed that a Russian citizen had been caught spying for Britain and that British diplomats would face expulsion.

In an attempt to play down the incident, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that he hoped that relations would not be affected.

But experts in espionage say the allegations are probably true.

Yuri Modin was in charge of the Soviet spy network in England during and after the Second World War.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
All diplomats are spies (laughs), all of them (laughs) They don't admit it.
SUPERCAPTION: Yuri Modin, former Soviet spy master

Despite the end of the Cold War, Modin is sure that espionage is just as rife today as it ever was.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
Prostitution is considered the oldest profession, espionage is the second. When prostitution ends, so will spying (laughs).
SUPERCAPTION: Yuri Modin, former Soviet spy master

Just weeks ago Boris Yeltsin and John Major greeted each other warmly during the G-7 summit in Moscow.

The British government has resolutely denied the allegations, and many see the incident as a preelection ploy on Yeltsin's part to boost his poor poll standings at home.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
In this case it's definitely linked with the election campaign and I think that Mr Yeltsin will definitely use this case to demonstrate to his voters that he is a good president and that he defends the Russian national interests and he will not stop even when he has to threaten relations with his friends in the West.
SUPERCAPTION: Viktor Kremenyuk, Deputy Director of USA/Canada Institute (political analyst)

With the break-up of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold war the K-G-B changed its name to the Federal Security Service -- and claimed to have changed its methods.

But the latest spying allegations suggest that the business of espionage remains much as it ever was.

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