Word: britishers
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...British defied the orders, saying that they operated quite legally based on the Russian-British agreement of 1994, and reopened the Yekaterinburg office on January 9, right after the New Year break was over, while St. Petersburg's office resumed operations this Monday. However, by Thursday morning, both shut down under pressure...
...British made a major mistake neglecting to place the British Council's activities in Russia on a solid legal base," a senior MFA official told TIME. "We have been lenient for 14 years." The official didn't beat around the bush as to why the "lenience" abruptly ended: "It's in tune with the general deterioration of our relationship with Britain, there is no denying that. Otherwise, we could have kept looking the other...
...British-Russian relations have seriously soured since 2006, when the former KGB/FSB officer-turned-dissident Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned in London with polonium-210, and the Brits demanded extradition of their prime suspect, Russian businessman Andrei Lugovoi. Citing the Constitution, the Kremlin turned down London's demands - and promptly elected Lugovoi as a Duma member on the ballot of Vladimir Zhirinovsky's rabble-raising nationalists...
...Another Russian diplomat, when asked to comment upon the MFA's statement threatening "coercive" actions to have the British Council's regional offices closed, just shrugged: "No need posting a cop at the gate to turn people away. A phone call to those Russians who cooperate with the British Council, appealing to their civic duty, will suffice...
...Russia of "completely unacceptable" behavior. In a statement to MPs in the House of Commons on Thursday, Miliband expressed "anger and dismay" at Russia's actions adding: "We saw similar actions during the Cold War but frankly thought they had been put behind us ... Russia's actions against the British Council are a stain on Russian's reputation and standing...