Russia on Friday accused six British diplomats of spying and said it had decided to expel them. The U.K. said the “completely baseless” move came weeks ago and was linked to its action in May to revoke the credentials of an attaché at the Russian Embassy and limit Moscow’s diplomatic activities in London.

The latest East-West tensions unfolded as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Washington for talks that will include Ukraine’s request to use Western-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia. President Vladimir Putin has warned that Kyiv’s use of long-range weapons would put NATO at war with Moscow.

BRITAIN TO EXPEL RUSSIAN DIPLOMAT IN RESPONSE TO MOSCOW’S ‘RECKLESS AND DANGEROUS ACTIVITIES’

Russia’s Federal Security Service said in an online statement that the Foreign Ministry withdrew the British envoys’ accreditations, and Russian TV quoted an FSB official as saying it was decided to expel them.

The FSB said it received documents indicating the diplomats were sent to Russia by a division of the U.K.’s Foreign Office “whose main task is to inflict a strategic defeat on our country,” and that they were involved in “intelligence-gathering and subversive activities.” It did not identify the six diplomats.

The FSB warned that if other diplomats are found to be carrying out “similar actions,” it “will demand early termination of their missions” to Russia.

Russian TV said the six diplomats had met with independent media and rights groups that have been declared “foreign agents” — a label Russian authorities have actively used against organizations and individuals critical of the Kremlin.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement that the diplomats were carrying out “subversive actions aimed at causing harm to our people.”

“We fully agree with the assessments of the activities of the British so-called diplomats expressed by the Russian FSB,” she added in an online statement. “The British Embassy has gone far beyond the limits outlined by the Vienna Conventions.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said breaking off diplomatic relations with the U.K. was not on the table right now.

In calling the Russian allegations “completely baseless,” the U.K. Foreign Office said the expulsions happened weeks ago, linking them to Britain’s decision in May to revoke the credentials of an attaché at Moscow’s London embassy and to impose a five-year time limit on all Russian diplomats in Britain.

“The Russian authorities revoked the diplomatic accreditation of six U.K. diplomats in Russia last month, following action taken by the U.K. government in response to Russian state-directed activity across Europe and in the U.K.,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. “We are unapologetic about protecting our national interests.”

In May, the U.K. expelled Russia’s defense attaché in London, alleging he was an undeclared intelligence officer, and it closed several Russian diplomatic properties in Britain that it said were being used for spying. About a week later, Russia reciprocated and expelled Britain’s defense attaché.

Expulsions of diplomats — both Western envoys working in Russia and Russians in the West — have become increasingly common since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Last year, the Russian news outlet RBC counted that Western countries and Japan expelled a total 670 Russian diplomats between the start of 2022 and October 2023, while Moscow responded by expelling 346 diplomats. According to RBC, that was more than in the previous 20 years combined.

On his way to visit the U.S., Starmer said Britain does not “seek any conflict with Russia.”

“Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia could end this conflict straight away,” he told reporters.

“Ukraine has the right to self-defense and we’ve obviously been absolutely fully supportive of Ukraine’s right to self-defense — we’re providing training capability, as you know. But we don’t seek any conflict with Russia — that’s not our intention in the slightest,” he said.

Ukraine wants approval to use some weapons to strike deeper into Russia and there are signs that President Joe Biden might shift U.S. policy in response.

While the issue is expected to be at the top of the agenda for their meeting, it appeared unlikely that Biden and Starmer would announce any policy changes at this time, according to two U.S. officials familiar with planning for the talks. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the private deliberations.

expense of the wishes of the Falkland Islanders, who in our view absolutely come first.”

Ukrainian officials renewed their pleas to use Western-provided long-range missiles against targets deeper inside Russia during this week’s visit to Kyiv by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Blinken said he had “no doubt” that Biden and Starmer would discuss the matter during their visit, noting the U.S. has adapted and “will adjust as necessary” as Russia’s battlefield strategy has changed.

Been caught sparring: A concert by the reunited Jane’s Addiction in Boston came to a sudden end Friday night when a clearly enraged Perry Farrell threw a punch at guitarist Dave Navarro — and was restrained by crew members, still appearing physically agitated as he was hustled offstage.

Multiple audience members shared their dramatic video of the altercation after the gig ended in calamity. This emotional explosion — coming on the heels of some “off” moments in other cities that have already been a subject of discussion in reviews and on social media — has some fans waiting to see whether the remaining gigs on the band’s long-awaited reunion tour, their first in 14 years, will proceed as scheduled.

Footage shared on the web shows the band deep into playing “Ocean Size,” the 11th number in a set that usually stretches out to 14 or 15 songs, when trouble erupts between the two most famous members of the veteran band. Some fans reported on social media that tension looked to have been brewing for several songs before it got to the point of fisticuffs.

Video of the lead-up to the scuffle shows Ferrell fiercely grunting in the direction of the audience, before he turns to his right and begins issuing those bellows at Navarro, face to face. He appears to aggressively bump shoulders with the guitarist during a solo, and Navarro eventually stops playing and puts a hand up to Farrell’s chest to establish distance. Then the singer appears to deliver a punch. At that point, as the stage lights are lowered, three men, including bassist Eric Avery, surround and grab hold of Farrell, who is finally forced offstage, still apparently struggling as he’s hustled into the wings.

Once Farrell was gone, the rest of the band — including Navarro — stepped to the front of the stage to give the crowd a gentler farewell, appearing calm as they hugged one another, applauded the audience, tapped their hearts and offered a peace sign.

The altercation immediately blew up on social media, with no shortage of jokes — including countless Oasis comparisons — along with more serious concerns expressed for the well-being of the band members involved.

“I was there,” tweeted @deanasc1 on X. “The crowd was bemused. Half pissed the show ended early and half excited we may have seen the last Janes A show ever.”

“Jane’s Addiction broke up before Oasis omg,” came a typical tweet, from the user @Tribecalledflex.

On setlist.fm, the notations section for the Boston show offered an ironic juxtaposition of trivia about the gig, reading: “Note: Stephen Perkins’ drum kit was outfitted with balloons in celebraton of his birthday. The set ended early after Perry Farell punched Dave Navarro.” 

Press representatives for Jane’s Addiction and the tour promoter, Live Nation, could not immediately be reached for comment Friday night.