It added: “The Federal Security Service’s counter-intelligence operations exposed the unreported intelligence presence of the United Kingdom under the cover of the country’s embassy in Moscow.”
The Kremlin said a man, 34, and woman, 32, “will be stripped of their accreditation and must leave Russia within two weeks.”
A spokesperson for the U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “This is not the first time that Russia has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff.”
The explusion comes after three U.K.-based Bulgarians were found guilty Friday of being part of a Russian spy ring, and amid high tensions between the two countries over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia also expeled a British diplomat in a similar manner last November and half a dozen in September. The FCDO has long rejected Russia’s claims — and revoked the accreditation of a Russian diplomat last month.