Russia recalls ambassador from the United Kingdom amid conflict over British drones

Moscow has recalled its ambassador to the United Kingdom, Andrei Kelin, without naming a successor — a step that effectively amounts to a downgrading of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

This was reported by The Times.

Kelin, who served as ambassador for more than seven years, left his post on July 21. The Kremlin has not put forward any candidates to the UK Foreign Office as a replacement, and embassy staff have no idea when a successor might be appointed. The embassy is currently headed by a chargé d’affaires ad interim.

Kelin’s departure was announced internally at the Russian embassy at a reception marking Russia Day on June 11, but no public statement was made at the time. An embassy spokesperson said that Kelin had made “significant efforts to maintain contacts and channels of communication” with London, and accused the British government of choosing a “path of confrontation” with Russia.

“He left the United Kingdom with the hope that a more constructive and respectful dialogue could ultimately be restored — if the United Kingdom reconsiders its policy toward our country,” the spokesperson told The Times.

The recall of the ambassador comes against a backdrop of sharply deteriorating relations. On August 17, the Russian embassy in London threatened Britain with “consequences” following reports that Ukrainian forces had for the first time used British-made drones to strike deep inside Russian territory. The BBC confirmed that the unmanned aerial vehicles, produced by two separate British companies — including the Nyan One Way Effector manufactured by Callen-Lenz, part of the FalconWorks division — had been used against Russian military and industrial targets, including oil refineries near Moscow, in Yaroslavl, and in Volgograd. The strikes reportedly caused economic damage in excess of 35 billion pounds sterling.

The Russian embassy accused Britain of becoming “a co-conspirator and co-executor” of the attacks.

“The deeper its involvement in the conflict and the greater the support it provides to Kyiv’s terrorist machine, the higher the price it will have to pay,” the embassy said in a statement.

Relations between Moscow and London were strained earlier this year when the United Kingdom expelled a Russian diplomat as part of mutual retaliatory measures in connection with alleged espionage. The fact that no replacement ambassador has been appointed leaves open the question of whether this step is a temporary gesture or whether Russia intends to downgrade its diplomatic presence in the United Kingdom for an extended period.