The UK’s deputy head of mission Tom Dodd got violent when faced with a crowd of reporters at a Moscow airport
Dodd was in the company of several other UK Foreign Office brass, including the head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate (EECAD), Christopher Allan, when he arrived late on Tuesday. The delegation headed straight for the exit, followed by a sizable group of reporters, who bombarded Dodd with various questions, including on a recent spy scandal which resulted in the expulsion of six British diplomats.
Footage from the scene shows Dodd attempting to grab cameras from the reporters, ripping an ID off the neck of one, and rudely shoving a woman out of his path.
The Britons staged a press scrum of sorts outside the airport, speaking primarily about the weather and ignoring questions about more pressing matters. They were met by a small group of protesters, one of whom had their placard torn by a member of the delegation.
According to media reports, the British delegation’s primarily task will be inspecting the work of the country’s mission in Moscow in the aftermath of the spy scandal. In mid-September, six British embassy staff were declared persona non grata over their alleged involvement in “subversive activities” and espionage. London rejected the accusations as “completely baseless.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has strongly condemned the airport incident and said Dodd’s behavior clearly demonstrated London’s true stance on “the high standards they’ve been constantly proclaiming, press freedom, and media pluralism.”
“The British authorities and their diplomats in Moscow must finally realize they should reserve their neo-colonialist habits for their own journalists at home,” Zakharova said during a regular press briefing on Wednesday, urging British diplomats to acquaint themselves with Russian legislation protecting the press.
It was not immediately clear whether Dodd would face any repercussions given his high diplomatic status. Russia’s Penal Code has an article dedicated to protecting journalists, with disrupting their work punishable by up to six years in prison.
