Embassy of Russia in London | |
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Location | Kensington, London |
Address | 6/7 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QP |
Coordinates | 51°30′28.1″N0°11′27.4″W / 51.507806°N 0.190944°W |
The Embassy of Russia in London is the diplomatic mission of Russia in the United Kingdom. [1] The main building and Consular section is located at 5 and 6-7 Kensington Palace Gardens at the junction with Bayswater Road; the Ambassador's Residence is located in a separate building at 13 Kensington Palace Gardens (Harrington House). [1] Russia also maintains a Defence Attaché's Office at 44 Millfield Lane, Highgate, and an Office of the Trade Representative at 33 Highgate West Hill, Highgate. [1]
The embassy of the Russian Empire was located at Chesham Place, Belgravia; [2] this then functioned as the Embassy of the new Soviet Union from 1924 to 1927. [2] Diplomatic relations were suspended during the period 1927–1929, and following their resumption the Soviet government moved to the various buildings on Kensington Palace Gardens.
In 1946 the Soviet government bought Seacox Heath, a country house in East Sussex, as a weekend retreat for its staff. [3]
Following the dissolution of the USSR, the Russian Federation inherited the former Soviet properties in the UK. [2] But this was not recognized by Ukraine and in 1999 it initiated litigation, which like the case with most other former Soviet embassies around the world, left the situation unresolved. [4] [5] Although previously the Russian Federation was able to register its property rights, it since then lost the rights to sell or rent it out. [6] In 2022 it was reported that the British Government was considering gifting the house at Seacox Heath to the Ukrainian Government as compensation for the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. [7]
The embassy has seen several protests over the years:
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was alleged that Russian planes bombed a children's hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine. Tweets from the Embassy of Russia about this were deleted by Twitter because the tweets were in violation of the Twitter Rules, specifically the 'Hateful Conduct and Abusive Behavior' policies related to the denial of violent events. [16]
Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federal District, and shares land borders with Georgia to its south; with the Russian republics of Dagestan, Ingushetia, and North Ossetia–Alania to its east, north, and west; and with Stavropol Krai to its northwest.
The republics are one type of federal subject of the Russian Federation. 21 republics are internationally recognized as part of Russia; another is under its de facto control. The original republics were created as nation states for ethnic minorities. The indigenous ethnicity that gives its name to the republic is called the titular nationality. However, due to centuries of Russian migration, a titular nationality may not be a majority of its republic's population. By 2017, the autonomous status of all republics was formally abolished, making the republics politically equivalent to the other federal subjects of Russia.
Bayswater Road is the main road running along the northern edge of Hyde Park in London. Originally part of the A40 road, it is now designated part of the A402 road.
Kensington Palace Gardens is an exclusive street in Kensington, west of central London, near Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace. Entered through gates at either end and guarded by sentry boxes, it was the location of the London Cage, the British government MI19 centre used during the Second World War and the Cold War. Several foreign diplomatic missions are located along it.
Flimwell is a village in the civil parish of Ticehurst, in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. It is located close to the border with Kent at the junction of the A21 road with the A268 and the B2087. The village is situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near Bewl Water and Bedgebury Pinetum, and neighbouring villages include Ticehurst, Hurst Green and Hawkhurst.
The Embassy of Israel in London is the diplomatic mission of Israel in the United Kingdom. It is located in the South Kensington area on Kensington Palace Gardens near the junction with Kensington High Street. The Grade II* listed building hosts both the Embassy of Israel and the Israeli Consulate, accessible via a separate entrance at 15a Old Court Place.
Netherlands–Russia relations is the relationships between the two countries, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Russian Federation. Russia has an embassy in The Hague, and the Netherlands has an embassy in Moscow, a consulate in Saint Petersburg, and an honorary consulate in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Moscow is the chief diplomatic mission of the United Kingdom in the Russian Federation. It is located in the Arbat District of Moscow, on Smolenskaya Embankment of the river Moskva. The current ambassador is Nigel Casey.
The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Chechnya have long been a cause of concern for human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. As a member of the Russian Federation, Russia's LGBT laws formally apply. De facto, there are no protections for LGBT citizens, and the Chechen authorities allegedly encourage the killing of people suspected of homosexuality by their families.
The Embassy of Russia in Oslo is the diplomatic mission of Russia to Norway. The embassy is located next to Ukraine Square at Skarpsno. The square outside the embassy was renamed Ukraine Square by the city on 7 March 2022 in support of Ukraine's freedom, in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The borough voted on 8 March 2022 to change the formal address of the Russian embassy to Ukraine Square.
The Embassy of Ukraine in London is the diplomatic mission of Ukraine in the United Kingdom. Ukraine also maintains a consulate at 78 Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill.
13 Kensington Palace Gardens, also known as Harrington House, is the former London townhouse of the Earls of Harrington. It is now the official residence of the Russian Ambassador. There were earlier Harrington Houses in London, located at Craig's Court, Charing Cross and at Stable Yard, St James's.
The Embassy of Qatar at 1 South Audley Street in Mayfair, London is the diplomatic mission of Qatar in the United Kingdom. The embassy is housed in a Grade II listed three storey house designed by the architect Frederick Pepys Cockerell and completed after his death by George Aitchison.
The Embassy of Iran in London is the diplomatic mission of Iran in the United Kingdom. It is located in a terrace overlooking Hyde Park in South Kensington, Westminster, London, next to the embassy of Ethiopia. Iran also maintains a Consular Section at 50 Kensington Court, South Kensington. The embassy building, along with the Ethiopian Embassy and the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum, is one of a group of Grade II listed stucco buildings.
The Embassy of France in London is the diplomatic mission of France to the United Kingdom.
The Embassy of the Czech Republic in London is the diplomatic mission of the Czech Republic in the United Kingdom. It is located at the junction of Kensington Palace Gardens and Bayswater Road in a building it shares with the Embassy of Slovakia.
The Embassy of Slovakia in London is the diplomatic mission of the Slovak Republic in the United Kingdom. It is located at the junction of Kensington Palace Gardens and Bayswater Road in a compound previously shared with the Embassy of the Czech Republic until 1993.
The Embassy of Nepal in London is the diplomatic mission of Nepal in the United Kingdom.
The Embassy of Lebanon in London is the diplomatic mission of Lebanon in the United Kingdom.
Seacox Heath is a house in the village of Ticehurst in East Sussex, England. It is owned by the Russian government, and is used as a weekend retreat by the staff of their embassy in London.