Russia restricts movement of UK diplomatic staff in response to "hostile actions of London"
Jul 20, 2023
Moscow [Russia], July 20 : Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday issued a notification procedure for the movement of employees of British diplomatic missions through the Russian territory, CNN reported. Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the decision has been taken in response to the "hostile actions" of London.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, "As a response to the hostile actions of London, including hindering the normal functioning of Russian foreign missions in the UK, the British side was informed of the decision to introduce a notification procedure for the movement of employees of British diplomatic missions on the territory of our country," according to CNN.
According to the statement, it will be mandatory for employees of the British Embassy in Moscow and the Consulate General in Yekaterinburg to send a notice of travel outside the 120 kilometres free movement zone at least five working days in advance. The document should include information about the timing, purpose, type of visit, planned business contacts, transportation and route of the trip.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday summoned UK Charge d Affaires Tom Dodd. He spent more than an hour at the Russian Foreign Ministry, CNN reported citing RIA.
Speaking to journalists, Tom Dodd said, "We want peace in Ukraine and for Russian troops to leave Ukraine." The ministry noted that Dodd was told it was "inadmissible to support the terrorist actions of the Kyiv regime."
The Russian Foreign Ministry asserted that any efforts by the UK to continue "the destructive line against Moscow, demonize Russia and complicate the work of its foreign agencies will receive a decisive response," according to CNN.
Last week, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced 14 new sanctions, including 11 against those involved in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children, according to the statement released by UK Foreign Ministry.
The people who have been sanctioned by the UK include Russian officials Ksenia Mishonova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Moscow Region, and Sergey Kravtsov, Minister of Education of Russia.
UK Foreign Ministry in the statement said, "These individuals have played an insidious role in Russia’s calculated programme of deportation, designed to erase Ukrainian cultural and national identity. Over 19,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russia or temporarily Russian controlled territory by Russian authorities."
According to the statement, since the beginning of Russia-Ukraine conflict, more than 1,600 people and entities have been sanctioned, which include 29 banks with global assets worth £1 trillion, over 130 oligarchs with a combined net worth of over £145 billion and UK-Russia trade worth over £20 billion.
