The Russian embassy in London on Sunday confirmed there was no longer an ambassador in post, while blaming Britain for the deterioration of bilateral relations.
The embassy released a statement after the Sunday Times reported that Moscow had “withdrawn” its envoy, Andrei Kelin, as it “attempts to force Britain to reconsider its support for Ukraine”.
Moscow had not put forward any candidates to replace Kelin “and embassy staff are understood to have no indication of when a successor might be appointed”, the newspaper reported.
“Following The Times’ article on the conclusion of Andrei Kelin’s diplomatic mission as Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom, the embassy considers it necessary to note that nothing in its comment provided to the newspaper implies that the Russian side intends to downgrade the level of diplomatic relations between our two countries,” a Russian embassy statement posted on Telegram said.
“As for the state of Russia-UK relations across all areas, they have deteriorated to an unprecedentedly low level entirely on London’s initiative,” it added.
Kelin, who had been Russian ambassador to the UK for over seven years, left his post on July 21, the Times reported.
“Downgrading a diplomatic relationship by withdrawing an ambassador is one formal way for a government to express severe displeasure or protest without severing ties entirely,” it said.
The Foreign Office told AFP it was “a matter for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs”.
“We have an ambassador and embassy in Moscow to engage and raise concerns with the Russian government,” it said in a statement.
“We continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, which has the right to defend itself against Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion,” it added.
Russia on Monday warned Britain it would pay a “price” after reports that UK-made drones supplied to Ukraine had been used in strikes deep inside Russia.
The embassy in London accused Britain of becoming “an accomplice and co-perpetrator” of the attacks and of “deliberately opting for an escalation” in the conflict.
“The deeper its involvement in the conflict and the greater its support for Kiev’s terrorist machinery, the higher the price it will pay,” it said.
Britain has been one of Ukraine’s strongest backers since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, committing around 25 billion pounds ($33 billion) in support, including 16 billion pounds in military aid.
Ukraine has stepped up long-range strikes inside Russia in recent months, while Moscow has intensified missile and drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital. (AFP)
