- (left) The TV report showed what it
said was a UK diplomatic spy
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- Russia's state security service, the FSB, has accused
British diplomats of spying in Moscow.
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- It backed claims made in a Russian TV report which showed
footage of what it said was British agents retrieving data from a fake
rock planted on a street.
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- The programme also said a UK diplomat made regular payments
to Russian non-governmental organisations.
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- The UK Foreign Office said it was "concerned and
surprised", and denied any improper conduct with Russian NGOs.
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- Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed FSB spokesman
as saying that "everything that was shown [in the programme] was true
and based on our information".
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- "We reject any allegation
of improper conduct in our dealing with Russian NGOs" --UK Foreign Office
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- How Would The "Rock" Work?
Spying Finds New Forms
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- The programme said four officials from the UK embassy
and one Russian citizen, allegedly recruited by the British secret service,
downloaded classified data from a transmitter in the rock onto palm-top
computers.
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- According to the programme, the Russian citizen was later
arrested.
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- Hidden camera footage appears to show individuals walking
up to the rock.
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- One man is caught on camera carrying it away.
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- 'New technology'
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- The programme contained a number of interviews with people
claiming to be Russian intelligence officers, who made the allegations.
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- An unnamed FSB spokesman told AFP news agency one of
the accused diplomats was a 30-year-old archivist.
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- Russian TV also showed what it said was the
spy rock
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- A FSB officer told Rossiya television the hi-tech stone
was "absolutely new spy technology".
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- The UK embassy in Moscow has refused to comment, but
the UK Foreign Office in London issued a statement.
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- "We are concerned and surprised at these allegations.
We reject any allegation of improper conduct in our dealing with Russian
NGOs," it said.
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- The Foreign Office said it was well known that the UK
government had given financial support to projects implemented by Russian
NGOs in the field of human rights and civil society.
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- "All our assistance is given openly and aims to
support the development of a healthy civil society in Russia," the
statement said.
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- Russian President Vladimir Putin drew widespread criticism
earlier this month when he signed a law giving authorities increased powers
to monitor the activities and finances of NGOs.
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- Critics said the measure was an attack on human rights
and democracy.
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- Michael Evans, defence editor of the UK Times newspaper,
told the BBC that Russia is still regarded as a centre of espionage.
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- "People will be a little bit surprised at the bizarre
nature of this episode. I've no idea whether it's true, but clearly there
is a lot of intelligence gathering that goes on."
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