The Consulate-General of the United Kingdom in Saint Petersburg was part of the diplomatic mission of the United Kingdom in the Russian Federation, before it was closed down in 2018. It was located on Lafonskaya Street in Tsentralny District.
| British Consulate-General, Saint Petersburg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | St. Petersburg, Russia |
| Address | 5 Lafonskaya Street |
| Consul General | Dr. Monika Sangeeta Ahuja (last consul-general) |
| Website | Official website |
The last British Consul General in Saint Petersburg was Monika Sangeeta Ahuja; she was appointed to the post in February 2017, and arrived there in December of the same year.[1]
History
editBefore the October Revolution of 1917, the British embassy in Russia was seated in Saint Petersburg, in a palace overlooking the Troitsky Bridge. Diplomatic relations were then broken off.[2] In 1924, after the Russian Civil War, Great Britain was the first foreign power to recognize the new Soviet government, sending an ambassador in 1924. However, he was provided with a palace at Boloto, on the Island, or Zamoskvorechye, near the Kremlin in Moscow. The British embassy remained there until 2000.[3]
As the Russian Federation replaced the Soviet Union, the British Consulate-General in St. Petersburg was re-opened, and Barbara Hay was appointed as its first new Consul-General in 1992.[4][5] The consulate would go on to operate for 26 years.
In 1997, the Consulate coordinated the British program of events in St. Petersburg dedicated to the three hundredth anniversary of Peter the Great's Embassy to Great Britain.[6]
Throughout its work, the Consulate supported such traditional cultural events as the "Days of Scottish Culture in St. Petersburg", held annually since 1971.[7][8]
In 2018, in response to the UK's decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats following the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, Russia closed the Consulate-General, while also expelling 23 British diplomats and closing the office of the British Council in Russia.[9][10]
List of Consuls-General
editOther locations in Russia
editThe British Consulate-General in Yekaterinburg is still operational, as well as the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Moscow.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Monika Sangeeta Ahuja".
- ^ Michael Hughes, "There will be a catastrophe" in INSIDE THE ENIGMA: British Officials in Russia, 1900-39 (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1997), pp. 13–74
- ^ The Economist Guide: USSR (London: The Economist, 1990), p. 108.
- ^ Foreign and Commonwealth Office (22 February 2011). "British Consul-General Dame Barbara Hay DCMG LVO MBE". British Consul-General in Los Angeles website. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ^ A & C Black (2012). "HAY, Dame Barbara (Logan)". Who's Who 2012, online edition. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2012-05-03.
- ^ "Распоряжение губернатора Санкт-Петербурга от 3 октября 1997 года N 1028-р "Об участии Санкт-Петербурга в мероприятиях, посвященных 300-летию Посольства Петра I в Великобританию"". pravo.gov.ru (in Russian). 1997-10-03. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ "С 27 января по 2 февраля в Санкт‑Петербурге прошли традиционные Дни Шотландии". gov.spb.ru (in Russian). Комитет по внешним связям Санкт‑Петербурга. 2017-02-03.
- ^ Allan, Keith (2017-02-03). "Celebrating Scotland in St Petersburg and commemorating links during the Leningrad Siege". blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/keithallan. en.
- ^ "Russia spy poisoning: 23 UK diplomats expelled from Moscow". BBC News. 17 March 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
- ^ "The British Consulate General in St. Petersburg will be closed". Visa House. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ "British Embassy Moscow". Gov.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2015.