Britain has revoked a man's citizenship for his pro-Russian affiliations, marking the first such case in the country's history.

Mark Bullen, 45, who now lives in Russia, was stripped of his British passport for reasons of national security. He had close ties to the Russian authorities for many years while serving in the British police, writes The Sun.

The landmark decision by UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is the first of its kind.

Apart from Bullen, only two people have been stripped of British citizenship for alleged links to Russia, and neither of those two was born in the UK.

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In a letter written last October, which Bullen shared online, Mahmood wrote: "You are being stripped of your British citizenship on the grounds that it is in the public interest."

She insisted, however, that the evidence on which the decision was based "should not be made public in the interests of national security."

According to the UK Home Office, the power to strip someone of British citizenship is used very rarely, and only against "individuals involved in terrorism, activities on behalf of a hostile state or serious organised crime."

When Bullen, who has lived in Russia for 12 years, was contacted by The Sun, he complained, "Where is the due process in this case? If I'm guilty, bring me to court and let the judge and jury decide my fate."

"Special Branch officers interrogated me twice and, disguised as dog walkers, followed me around London for several days straight. So, either I'm innocent or they're incompetent—decide for yourself."

Russophile Bullen grew up in Enfield, north London, and served as a Hertfordshire police officer for 11 years.

During this time, he actively invited Russian police officers to make professional visits to the UK and regularly travelled to the Russian Federation himself.

In 2010, he even participated in a month-long exchange program in St. Petersburg, The Sunday Times reports.

The former police officer received Russian citizenship in 2022 and told sports.ru: "It was the dream of my whole life."

Mark told the publication that he had been obsessed with Russia since childhood, visiting it for the first time at the age of 18 in 1999 and teaching himself Russian.

Bullen moved to Russia in 2014 after leaving the police and now works for the Zenit St. Petersburg football club.

He is married to a Russian woman and is raising four children.

Bullen reportedly still travelled to the UK to visit family about once a year.

During one such trip in November 2024, he was stopped for questioning by counter-terrorism officers at Luton Airport.

He flew there from Russia via Turkey. He was interrogated for several hours under Schedule 3 of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, which relates to alleged activity on behalf of an enemy state.

This was not the first time that his sympathies for Russia attracted the attention of the authorities.

In 2013, while still a police officer, he was interrogated by officers from the Special Branch, who asked, "Why do you travel to Russia? Who are your Russian acquaintances in London?"

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The Metropolitan Police told The Times: "On 12 November 2024, a man aged in his 40s was stopped by counter-terrorism officers at Luton Airport. Officers were using powers under Schedule 3 of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 after arriving in the UK on a flight from Turkey.

He was detained, his digital devices were confiscated for further examination, and then released. There was no arrest."

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