Russia said on Tuesday it was expelling a British diplomat who it accused of espionage and summoned the UK's ambassador to the foreign ministry in Moscow. 

Russia's FSB security service said the diplomat, identified as Wilkes Edward Prior, had intentionally provided false information when he entered the country.

And "at the same time, the Russian FSB has discovered signs of the said diplomat conducting intelligence and subversive work that threatens the security of the Russian Federation," the agency said in a statement.

There was no immediate comment from the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office. 

According to the FSB, the British diplomat was a replacement for one of six UK diplomats expelled earlier this year, also on espionage charges. London and Moscow have expelled several of each other's diplomats on spying allegations in recent years.

(With input from agencies)