EMBASSY INFORMS
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Question: Foreign Office Minister of State Alan Duncan has urged Russia to immediately release up to 70 “Ukrainian political prisoners”, including Oleg Sentsov and Volodymyr Balukh. How would you comment on this? Answer: The Embassy has taken note of the statement, which fails to reflect the real state of affairs. It should be reminded once again that Oleg Sentsov has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on grave charges of creating a terrorist group and preparing two terrorist acts. Volodymyr Balukh has been convicted to three and a half years in prison for illegal possession of arms. These are all criminal offences punishable not only in Russia but under the law of a vast majority of countries, including the United Kingdom.
Queston: How would you comment on the anti-Russian remarks made by the UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt during his US visit? Answer: Those statements follow the general line of the current Conservative government towards Russia. It is highly symbolic that Foreign Secretary Hunt has chosen the US Institute of Peace as a venue for his attacks. There is not much about peace. The UK authorities may prefer to continue their policy of scaremongering, using the so-called “Russian threat” in order to distract the British public from those urgent domestic and international problems the UK currently faces. But this “enemy search” is a flawed and shortsighted policy.
Question: How would you comment on the UK approaches to the reconstruction of Syria and repatriation of the refugees? Answer: Unfortunately, the UK continues to follow the overall pattern of Western policy of obstruction that Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov was talking about yesterday at the press-conference following the meeting with his Lebanese colleague Gebran Bassil. He said that the “US was making a contribution to Syria’s restoration; however, it was limited to the areas occupied by the opposition groups that were not always constructive”. Unfortunately, these words are fully applicable to the UK participation in that process. We have to acknowledge that London still prefers to provide assistance only to the Syrian regions under control of the militant opposition and jihadists groups.
Question: Does the Embassy have any new information regarding circumstances of the death of the Russian citizen Nikolay Glushkov in London on 12 March? Answer: Unfortunately, we have to state once again that the British side continues to evade any sort of cooperation with Russia with regard to the investigation of Mr Glushkov’s death. The British authorities continue to ignore our requests. After the Foreign and Commonwealth Office recommended to address all correspondence on this case not to the police but to the FCO, the Embassy has sent a respective Note Verbale.
We have taken note of the speech by Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Mark Field in the Philippines during his tour of Southeast Asia. The Minister has irresponsibly stated, inter alia, that “in recent years many countries have fallen victim to Russian state aggression”. These accusations are absolutely misleading. As we have emphasized over and over again at various levels, Russia does not threaten anyone. The UK, on the other hand, in recent years together with the US have initiated aggression in Iraq, destroyed Libya and committed an act of aggression against Syria this April by launching a massive missile attack on its territory.
Question: How would you comment on the recent information regarding the OPCW experts’ visit to the UK upon the British authorities request for “technical assistance” in the framework of the investigation of the Amesbury incident? Answer: First of all, we would like to point out that the Embassy has learned about the OPCW experts’ visit to the UK from the media publications. Unfortunately, the British side continiously refuses to launch a transparent and independent international investigation.
Question: How would you comment on the statement by the UK government on its intention to provide assistance for Idlib province in Syria? Answer: We monitor closely the modalities of the UK assistance in Syria, what are its objectives and who are its recipients. The official British statement issued today indicates that the assistance will be provided to Idlib province. Moreover, according to the statement, around 3 million civilians “have sought shelter” in this area, while “many have already been displaced multiple times”.
Question: How would you comment on the claims that the refusal of the British authorities to cooperate with Russia on the investigation of the Salisbury incident might damage the UK international reputation? Answer: The Embassy is still concerned about the lack of information regarding condition and whereabouts of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. Unfortunately, the British authorities continue to refuse us consular access to them. The UK government ignores numerous relevant requests for legal assistance sent by the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation to the Home Office. This is a clear breach of UK international obligations.
The Russian Ambassador said he stands together with the people of Salisbury in a meeting with the Journal last week, as the United States announced new sanctions against the country. Speaking at his official residence in Kensington Palace Gardens on Thursday, Alexander Yakovenko said: “We are together with the people of Salisbury.”
The Russian Ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko was the guest speaker on RT's show "Going Underground". His Excellency talked about Skripal poisoning, Brexit, the BRICS economic bloc, Syria, the Turkish crisis, NATO, and the 2018 Russian World Cup.
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