Kremlin has not appointed a new ambassador to London: Kelin leaves post after seven years amid 'consequences'

The Russian Embassy in London confirmed that Andrey Kelin has left his post as Russia's ambassador to the United Kingdom after serving for seven years. According to the diplomatic mission's spokesperson, the Kremlin ended Kelin's mission on 21 July 2026. Russia's online list of 'senior diplomatic staff' in the UK now lists only Vasily Tsypganov, the chargé d'affaires of the embassy. Moscow has not yet put forward a candidate to replace Kelin.

Seven years in post and the end of the mission

The embassy's spokesperson stressed that Kelin 'made efforts to preserve channels of communication' with Britain and accused the London government of choosing a 'path of confrontation' with Russia. The diplomatic mission stated that he left Britain 'in the hope that a more constructive and respectful dialogue may eventually be resumed, should the United Kingdom reconsider its policy towards our country.' Thus, the formal end of the mission coincided with a public condemnation of London's course, but without a declaration of the severance of diplomatic relations.

'Consequences' and the embassy's warnings

Tensions between Moscow and London escalated sharply last week: the Russian embassy warned of 'consequences' after it became known that the United Kingdom is supplying Ukraine with strike drones. Former British defence attaché in Moscow and Kyiv John Forman noted that a gap between ambassadors was not in itself unprecedented, but in a post on X he pointed out that the sharp statement about 'consequences' and the deterioration of bilateral relations raise the question of whether, this time, Moscow may go for a final deterioration of relations by not replacing its ambassador.

British side: channels of communication remain open

A spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stated that the question of replacing the ambassador falls within the competence of the Russian Foreign Ministry. 'We have an ambassador and an embassy in Moscow to engage with the Russian government and express our concerns to it,' he noted, adding that Britain continues to support Ukraine in its right to defend itself against Russia's invasion. Later, the Russian embassy issued a statement saying that its comments contained 'nothing to suggest an intention on Russia's part to worsen diplomatic relations' with Britain.

Contradictory data

Inconsistencies can be traced in the statements of both sides and of the embassy itself. On the one hand, the diplomatic mission claims that relations have 'deteriorated to an unprecedentedly low level solely at London's initiative' and had previously warned of 'consequences.' On the other — in a subsequent statement the embassy insists that its comments contained no hint of an intention to worsen relations, while Britain, for its part, emphasises that channels of communication through the embassy in Moscow remain open and does not regard the situation as a rupture. Expert Forman also assesses the situation contradictorily: on the one hand, calling the gap between ambassadors not unprecedented, he on the other allows that this time Moscow may go for a final deterioration by not appointing a successor. These discrepancies in the interpretation of the same event — the factual absence of an ambassador in London — have not yet been resolved by either side.

Context: Nyan drones and Lavrov's statement

The backdrop for the escalation was set by recent reports in The Times that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been using British Nyan jet-powered drones for strikes deep inside Russian territory for six months. Following this, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called Britain a participant in the war against Russia. It is in this context that the end of Kelin's mission and the absence of an appointed successor are perceived as a possible signal from Moscow, although the parties have not formally declared a severance of diplomatic relations.