Russia Withdraws Ambassador to UK as Tensions Rise over Britain’s Support for Ukraine

The Kremlin has withdrawn its ambassador to the UK as it seeks to pressure Britain into reconsidering its support for Ukraine, while UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, visiting Kyiv on his first foreign trip, will hand over blueprints for Ukraine to produce its own long-range missiles. Ambassador Andrey Kelin had been in post for more than seven years and is understood to have left on July 21. Russia has not put forward a replacement for Kelin, while it is understood that embassy staff do not know if or when a successor might be named. Russia’s online list of “senior diplomatic staff” in the UK now only includes Vasily A Tsyganov, chargé d’affaires at the embassy.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. A spokesperson for the Russian embassy in the UK told British newspaper The Sunday Times that the Kremlin had concluded Kelin’s diplomatic mission on July 21. The Kremlin did not appear to have made any official statement at the time. The embassy spokesperson added that the former ambassador had made “considerable efforts to preserve contacts and channels of communication” with the UK but accused the British government of choosing a “path of confrontation” with Russia. A spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “This is 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. We continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, which has the right to defend itself against Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion.” Other Topics of Interest Ukrainian Drones Strike 2 Russian Fighter Jets, S-400, Radars Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces struck multiple Russian targets, including Su-33 and MiG-29 jets, eight radars, and an S-400 division. Escalating tensions Tensions between Russia and the UK have ratcheted up in recent days, with Moscow issuing a warning through its UK embassy, stating – without further definition – that there would be “consequences” after it emerged that Britain was supplying drone technology to Kyiv. In a statement on Telegram on Aug 17, the Russian embassy in the UK accused Britain of “deliberately opting for an escalation of the Ukraine crisis” and that “London’s actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer.” Kyiv has stepped up attacks on Moscow and other parts of Russia in recent weeks, with a military source confirming to the BBC that UK drones had been used in attacks on Russia that reportedly caused more than £35bn in economic damage. John Foreman, a former British defence attaché in Moscow and Kyiv, views Kelin’s withdrawal as a signal of Moscow’s disinterest in maintaining bilateral relations with the UK. In a post on X, Foreman stated: “The embassy’s strident ‘consequences’ statement this week and the huge deterioration of bilateral relations since 2018 and especially since the start of the war make me wonder if Moscow will permanently downgrade the relationship this time, by default by not replacing him.” Following The Sunday Times report, the Russian embassy released a broader public statement to other national outlets – including The Guardian and The Telegraph – to deny that it was formally downgrading diplomatic relations, while simultaneously blaming London for pushing a path of confrontation. Incoming British Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently stated that the UK is “with Ukraine 100%” as President Volodymyr Zelensky became his first international visitor. Speaking to reporters on Aug. 18 after Moscow threatened “consequences” over drone supplies, Burnham said: “This is the UK doing what it has long said it would do, which is to support Ukraine 100% against this illegal war led by Vladimir Putin... We are not fair-weather friends. We will be there in Ukraine’s hour of need, and that won’t change.” Missile blueprints The UK appears to remain unfazed by the diplomatic rift with Moscow, as Burnham makes Kyiv the destination of his first foreign trip on Monday – Ukraine’s Independence Day. He is set to announce that Britain has agreed to allow UK defense company MBDA to declassify information on UK components for the long-range Scalp missile – the French equivalent of the UK’s storm shadow. The move follows the UK being the first to gift long-range strike weapons for defensive purposes to Ukraine in 2023 and will allow the French and Ukrainians to move forward with the Ukrainian assembly of the missile. Burnham said: “On Ukraine’s 35th anniversary of independence, the Ukrainian people should be in no doubt: the UK is behind you today and for as long as it takes. I am proud of the contribution our country has made to Ukraine and I want the Ukrainian people to hear it directly from me that our support will not waver. After all, Ukraine’s security is our security.” Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.