MINSK, Belarus - Belarus on Monday accused the United States of recruiting citizens into a spy ring aimed at undermining the authoritarian ex-Soviet republic.

The statement by a spokesman for the country's main security agency, the KGB, came amid escalating tensions between the two countries. Most employees of the U.S. Embassy have been expelled in recent months.

KGB spokesman Valery Nadtachayev told Belarusian television that the U.S. Embassy had hired 10 local citizens to take photographs of police officials, airports and villages near the state border.

Most of the diplomats were expelled after the U.S. imposed sanctions on a state-controlled company and travel restrictions on President Alexander Lukashenko and other top government officials.

The U.S. Embassy in Minsk declined comment, but in Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey rejected the accusations out of hand.

"Other than laughter I really don't have much reaction to it," Casey told reporters. "It's completely unfounded and untrue. They can come up with whatever excuses they like for their totally unjustified and unwarranted (expulsion) of our staff, but I'm sorry, this is just ridiculous."

He said State Department officials were still weighing how to respond to the expulsions, including the possibility of closing the U.S. Embassy.