London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

UK condemns Russia's expulsion of European diplomats who attended illegal Alexei Navalny protests

UK condemns Russia's expulsion of European diplomats who attended illegal Alexei Navalny protests

German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the expulsion as "unjustified", while Sweden called it "totally unfounded".

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has criticised the Russian government after diplomats from several European countries were expelled from the country for allegedly joining protests in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

The Russian foreign ministry said Polish, German and Swedish officials took part in what it described as "illegal demonstrations" in St Petersburg and Moscow on 23 January.

Mr Raab has followed German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Sweden's government in condemning the expulsion, saying the UK stood "in solidarity with our European friends in the face of this unjustified action".

Alexei Navalny was jailed for three-and-a-half years


"The expulsion of German, Polish and Swedish diplomats from Russia for simply doing their jobs is a crude attempt to distract from Russia's targeting of opposition leaders, protesters and journalists," tweeted Mr Raab.

"We stand in solidarity with our European friends in the face of this unjustified action.

"This is the latest in a series of actions, since the poisoning of @Navalny, which shows the Russian government turning its back on international law."

Poland's foreign ministry said it expects Moscow to reverse "this erroneous decision," as it demanded talks with its Russian ambassador.

"Otherwise," officials in Warsaw said, "Poland leaves itself the option to take appropriate steps," meaning a likely tit-for-tat expulsion of a Russian.

Ms Merkel found out about the expulsion while having talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, who told reporters: "I stand in solidarity with the three countries that have had their diplomats expelled."

The German leader said Berlin could impose further sanctions on Russia, "especially against people", adding that "we believe this is a further step away from the rule of law noticeable in Russia right now".

"We condemn his [Navalny's] prison term and now the expulsion of diplomats from Germany, Poland and Sweden," she said.

Moscow announced its move on Friday, soon after EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell met Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in the city.

Mr Borrell said he conveyed to his counterpart the EU's "deep concern" over the jailing of Mr Navalny, called for him to be released, and for an impartial investigation into his poisoning.

Navalny was sentenced at the Simonovsky District Court in Moscow


The UK, US, EU and the UN have all called for the immediate release of the fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin and thousands of peaceful protesters who have also been jailed.

Mr Navalny, 44, was jailed on Wednesday. He was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison at the Simonovsky District Court in Moscow over allegations he violated the conditions of a suspended sentence he received in 2014 for money laundering.

The opposition leader had just returned from Berlin, where he had been recovering from near-fatal exposure to the Soviet-era novichok nerve agent in August.

Mr Navalny's team maintains the Kremlin ordered his murder, a claim it denies. Mr Putin in turn alleges that Mr Navalny is working for the CIA, a charge he rejects.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accuses Mr Navalny of working with the CIA


Western hopes that Russia changes course are likely no more than wishful thinking

Analysis by Diana Magnay, Moscow correspondent

Josep Borrell's visit to Moscow was controversial from the start. The EU has not sent a delegation of his rank to Russia since 2017. Several EU member states opposed the trip coming as it did in the midst of massive political unrest, the detentions of more than 11,000 peaceful protestors and Alexei Navalny's jailing for a case the European Court of Human Rights had declared "arbitrary and manifestly unreasonable" back in 2017.

"The point of diplomacy is precisely to engage, to pass messages and try to find a common ground, especially when things are bad," Borrell had told Interfax ahead of his arrival.

Coming away he may have questioned that rationale. At a press conference on Friday morning with talks still underway, he praised the Russian COVID vaccine, saying he hoped it would receive certification from the European Medical Agency soon.

That is a major win for the Russian state which has always had a political calculus with regard to its vaccine. His reward? The expulsion of three European diplomats for participating in unsanctioned rallies. It is a slap in the face, adding muscle to what the Kremlin and foreign ministry have repeated over and over again these past two weeks - that condemnation from the West is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

Fresh geopolitical boundaries were drawn this Friday. President Biden set a new tone for US-Russian relations, saying the US would no longer roll over in the face of Russian aggression; Moscow set a new tone with the EU with the diplomatic expulsions. Mr Borrell said that decision should be reconsidered. That is perhaps wishful thinking.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
×