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/ 21 May 2008

Moscow placed on an invasion footing

Thousands of English fans arrived in Moscow on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester United at the Luzhniki stadium. The Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper pointed out it was the biggest invasion since the Germans besieged the city in World War II.

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/ 17 January 2008

Russian envoy: ‘Now we really have a crisis’

The diplomatic stand-off with Russia entered a dangerous new phase on Wednesday as British officials denounced ”a pattern of intimidation” by Russia’s security services against British Council staff. The Foreign Office complained of unacceptable behaviour, after Russians working at British Council offices were called in for questioning by the FSB.

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/ 16 January 2008

UK warns Russia after council staff summoned

Britain warned Russia on Wednesday that any attempt to intimidate staff of its cultural arm was ”completely unacceptable” after Russia’s state security service summoned local employees to speak to its officers. Britain’s consulate in St Petersburg said the British Council office in the northern city had been forced to shut temporarily.

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/ 11 October 2007

Keeping a lid on Putin’s resurgent Russia

Russia’s latest outburst of passive-aggressive paranoia, aimed at Britain in particular, may reflect a realisation in the Kremlin that Western resistance to its perceived bullying of neighbours, disdain for civil and human rights, and cut-throat energy policy is growing after years of blind eyes, held noses and wishful thinking.

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/ 28 August 2007

Russia arrests 10 for journalist’s murder

Russia’s chief prosecutor, Yuri Chaika, announced on Monday that 10 people had been arrested in connection with the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, which he blamed on a Chechen Mafia boss and rogue elements in Russia’s security services. But he hinted that the real mastermind behind the plot was a Russian citizen living abroad.