FSB Detains British Embassy Guard, Alleges Ukraine Plot

Russia's FSB says it has detained a guard from the British Embassy in Moscow and accused him of spying for Ukraine. The agency has offered no independent proof, and the claim is its own.

Russia's Federal Security Service said Thursday it detained a security officer who worked at the British ambassador's residence in Moscow, accusing him of collecting personal data on British diplomats for Ukrainian intelligence.

The FSB says the data-gathering was preparation for a Ukrainian false-flag operation against British diplomatic staff in Russia — an attack Moscow would then be blamed for. The Sun reported the agency alleged the man was plotting an "act of sabotage and terrorism" against Ambassador Nigel Casey.

The suspect, a 45-year-old Russian citizen who has not been named, has been charged with high treason under Article 275 of Russia's criminal code, which can carry life imprisonment.

He was employed by an outside firm providing security to the embassy, not directly by the British government.

What the FSB Released

The agency put out arrest footage showing the man being tackled by masked and plain-clothes officers and thrown face down on the ground, plus a recorded "confession" and WhatsApp messages it says are his.

In the video, the man says he handled security at the ambassador's residence and that in January he contacted Dmytro "Apostle" Karpenko, a Ukrainian blogger with military ties, who wanted names, addresses, vehicles, restaurants, travel and the movements of the ambassador and his staff — along with the residence's access control system, events on the grounds and the number of security personnel on duty.

He says on the tape that when he asked why, Karpenko told him "the Ukrainian authorities were very interested in the information for the purpose of carrying out acts of sabotage against the British Ambassador, the Embassy, and the British Residence in Moscow." Confessions recorded in FSB custody cannot be independently verified.

One published message read: "The Ambassador's wife lives in Britain but periodically stays here." Another logged the deputy ambassador leaving for dinner at 20:13 and returning at 00:30.