The journalist joined the BBC Moscow Bureau in August 2000 and has been put on short-term visas until August 2021

During an interview with BBC’s Andrew Marr, the Russian ambassador to the U.K. spoke about the expulsion of BBC’s foreign correspondent, Sarah Rainsford from Moscow.

He emphasised that Rainsford will have her visa renewed if the treatment of Russian journalists within the U.K. improves.

Earlier in the year, the British Embassy denied discriminating against Russian journalists, saying they could “continue to work freely provided they act within the law and the regulatory framework”.

Sarah Rainsford’s Russian visa expired at the end of August, after living in the country for 20 years the Russian government refused to extend it, viewing her as a “security threat”.