Russian ambassador to UK has left post, embassy says

The Russian embassy in London said Sunday that Russia no longer has an ambassador in post in Britain, after the Sunday Times reported that Moscow had withdrawn envoy Andrei Kelin.

The embassy said a comment it gave the newspaper did not imply Russia intended to downgrade diplomatic relations with Britain. It said relations had fallen to an “unprecedentedly low level” and blamed London.

The Sunday Times reported that Moscow had not put forward candidates to replace Kelin and that embassy staff had no indication of when a successor might be appointed. It said Kelin, who had been ambassador for more than seven years, left the post on July 21.

Britain's Foreign Office said the appointment was “a matter for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs”. It said Britain had an ambassador and embassy in Moscow and continued to support Ukraine.