Russia ridicules expulsion of diplomats and promises a 'targeted' retaliation

Russia has revealed that the British Government has ended co-operation with the successor agency of the KGB in the extradition row with Moscow. Russia also promised to respond to Britain's expulsion of its diplomats in a "targeted and appropriate" way.

Amid British hopes that the fallout from the Litvinenko affair could be contained by a tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Alexander Grushko, told journalists yesterday that the British authorities would be told the details of the response "in the nearest future".

He ridiculed Britain's decision on Tuesday to expel four Russian diplomats. The measure was announced by David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, to protest against Russia's refusal to extradite Andrei Lugovoy, the chief suspect wanted for the murder of the former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in London. "We are being punished for observing our own constitution," said Mr Grushko.

But he also said that the Russians had been informed that Britain would no longer co-operate with the FSB, Russia's domestic intelligence service for which Mr Lugovoy and Mr Litvinenko had worked.

The FSB has been suspected of having had a hand in Mr Litvinenko's poisoning with a radioactive substance, polonium-210, although Mr Miliband did not refer to the KGB successor agency in his speech. He said only that London was reviewing co-operation on "a range of issues".

Mr Grushko said that Britain's decision to sever connections with the FSB while continuing to co-operate in counter-terrorism was "contradictory". He pointed out that the FSB had a "central role" in counter-terrorism, "within Russia and internationally. "It's clear that the line taken by London will make more difficult - if not impossible - co-operation between Moscow and London on issues that touch the security interests of millions of Brits and Russians."

Analysts in Moscow still expected the Russians to mirror the British actions. "They will expel four diplomats and make visa requirements more severe for British officials," said Dmitry Suslov, a deputy director at the Council on Foreign and Defence Policy, a Moscow-based think-tank.

Mr Grushko did not give details of the Russian response, which is expected today, but he said that tourists and businessmen would not be affected.

In London, a Foreign Office spokesman said: "No retaliation on Russia's behalf is justified," after Mr Miliband set out the Government's position in the House of Commons on Monday.

British diplomats do not expect Russian authorities to change their position and yield to the extradition demand, however. Russia is offering to put Mr Lugovoy on trial in Moscow, a move that has been rejected by the Government.

Mr Lugovoy gave an interview to Russia Today television, in which he again denied the murder, blaming it on MI6, and stated that British authorities had ignored several offers he had previously made to answer further questions on the episode.

The mood in Moscow was belligerent, with analysts and media expressing surprise at the decision. Most Russian dailies ran the story on their front pages yesterday, often with an indignant and angry tone. "Does Britain really need to open a 'second front' when it still has not got to grips with terrorists that have declared jihad on it?" asked Izvestia.

Other papers noted that Russia has made 21 extradition requests to Britain over the past six years and not a single one had been accepted. Mr Grushko raised this point in his statement, saying that if Russia had expelled four diplomats each time an extradition request was turned down, it would have expelled 80 British diplomats. He also called on other EU countries to show "common sense" and not be drawn into the dispute.

Expats caught in the middle

Svetlana Svechnikova

Translator from Kazan who has lived in Britain for three years

"These political problems are a great shame but I'm most concerned on a personal level. They will make day-to-day things more complicated. If my British husband he wants a visa to come to Russia it's going to be more difficult and the same problem may affect my family in Russia."

Katia Lavrik

Student from Siberia, now living in Earls Court. Has lived in Britain for five years

"So far I haven't felt affected personally by any of these political problems because I haven't lived in Russia for 10 years. But my family and friends are worried about getting a visa; I've heard it may become almost impossible for them and other tourists."

Jenny Levitan

Deputy director, Pushkin House, from Toglitti. Has lived in Britain for 11 years

"Diplomatic relations between Russia and Britain have always been quite tense. This is not going to be a new Cold War, but I can imagine the Russian government bringing in restrictions on travel, and to the status of those who live between the two countries."

Dimitri Drozdov

Editor of London Info, the UK's first weekly Russian newspaper. From Tomsk, Siberia, now lives in Hackney. Has lived in Britain for five years

"I think it's very sad news that this scandal has escalated to such a great extent. This whole thing is a nonsense; Russia shouldn't be acting in such an over-emotional way. I hope that diplomats on both sides will reconsider their positions. And I hope that the British will not take any serious steps. We have so many shared interests and I really hope that business will not be affected. The story surrounding Litvinenko is uncertain. I don't think we know the whole truth."

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