Drones hit three Ozon logistics centers in southern Russia and North Caucasus

Russia has removed its ambassador from the UK as it attempts to persuade Britain to reconsider its backing for Ukraine, during a time when tensions are increasing over Britain's assistance to Ukraine. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who is currently visiting Kyiv for the first time in his political career, will present blueprints for Ukraine to manufacture its own long-range missiles.

Ambassador Andrey Kelin, who had been in his position for over seven years, departed on July 21 and Russia has not appointed a replacement. The Russian embassy in the UK currently only features Vasily A Tsyganov, the chargé d'affaires. The Kremlin did not announce this decision at the time, though a spokesperson for the Russian embassy in the UK stated that Kelin had ended his diplomatic role on July 21.

He had reportedly been striving to keep open lines of communication with the UK, but accused the British government of choosing "a path of confrontation" with Russia.

Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office maintained that this matter was between the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that they were continuing to support Ukraine, which is entitled to protect itself against Russia's unlawful and unexpected invasion. Tensions have escalated recently, with Russia warning through its UK embassy that there would be consequences following Britain's provision of drone technology to Kyiv.

In a Telegram post on August 17, the Russian embassy in the UK accused Britain of "deliberately choosing to escalate the Ukraine crisis," and stated that London's actions would "inevitably bear consequences for which it will have to bear responsibility." Kyiv has intensified its strikes on Moscow and other regions of Russia over the past weeks, with a military source confirming to the BBC that UK drones were used in attacks on Russia, causing over £35 billion in economic damage.

Former British defense attaché in Moscow and Kyiv, John Foreman, views Kelin's withdrawal as an indication of Moscow's lack of interest in sustaining bilateral relations with the UK. In an X post, Foreman wondered if Moscow might permanently downgrade the relationship this time, by default, by not appointing a successor. The Russian embassy later released a wider public statement to other national publications, denying that they had formally downgraded diplomatic relations while blaming London for pushing for a confrontation.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently stated that the UK stands firmly with Ukraine "100%" in its fight against Russia's illegal war led by Vladimir Putin, emphasizing that their support for Ukraine would not change.