Russia ban for British Council
Wednesday, 12 Dec 2007 17:36
Russia orders British Council to shut down non-Moscow offices
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The British Council has been ordered to close down its operations in Russia outside of Moscow, it has been announced.
According to the Kremlin, the British Council, a non-governmental organisation that fosters cultural understanding, is in breach of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and has broken Russian tax laws.
Following the decree from the country's foreign ministry, the council's offices in St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg must be closed in the new year.
The development continues the trend of worsening diplomatic relations between the UK and Russia after Moscow refused to extradite Andrei Lugovoi – who is now an MP – over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko and the expulsion of four diplomats apiece by both countries.
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