21st November 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Every November we recognise the brave British and Allied soldiers, sailors and airmen who served in North West Russia during World War One, including the Allied Intervention period of 1918-19, and World War Two. This was a particularly important year as we commemorated the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the first of the Arctic […]
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3rd November 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I was in Liverpool on 31 October to attend an event in honour of the 75th anniversary of the Arctic Convoys. It was two months to the day since we commemorated the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the first of the Arctic Convoys in Arkhangelsk, Russia, in the presence of HRH The Princess Royal […]
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12th October 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Russian ice-breaker, the Krasin, was built in Newcastle in 1916-17 and went on to play an important role in the Arctic Convoys of World War Two. It is one of the most famous ships in Russia and is today a floating museum on the River Neva in St Petersburg. In partnership with Newcastle University […]
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28th September 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
My latest trip in the North West Federal District of Russia took me to Solovetsky Island, or Solovky Island, which is located in the Onega Bay of the White Sea. The main Solovetsky Island is part of an archipelago of six islands. This is a beautiful, remote, some say spiritual place, with a rich history […]
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16th September 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
31 August 2016 marked the 75th anniversary of the first of what would become known as the Arctic Convoys, which delivered essential supplies to the Soviet Union during World War Two. The first convoy, codenamed ‘Dervish’, left Liverpool on 12 August 1941 and finally arrived in Arkhangelsk in north west Russia on 31 August. ‘Dervish’ […]
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10th August 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
As we prepare to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the first of the Arctic Convoys, ‘Dervish’, in Arkhangelsk at the end of August, a visit to remote Rybachiy Peninsula was a reminder of the sacrifice made by so many British, Soviet and Allied sailors, soldiers and airmen during World War Two. The […]
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18th May 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Russia celebrated Victory Day on 9 May. Commemorative events took place across the country. In St Petersburg, I joined the Governor and thousands of St Petersburg residents to lay flowers at Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery, where half a million of the victims of the Leningrad Siege are buried. The following day I was in Murmansk, another […]
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4th May 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
My latest regional visit took me outside of the North West Federal District to the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, a 2.5 hour flight from St Petersburg. I had always wanted to visit Rostov-on-Don, a city that is twinned with my home city of Glasgow in Scotland. I was delighted therefore when I was asked […]
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14th April 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
My latest regional visit in the North West Federal District of Russia took me to the city of Petrozavodsk in the Republic of Karelia. Petrozavodsk is 430 km north of St Petersburg. There is a good train connection between the cities. The Republic of Karelia is a beautiful part of Russia, full of forests, lakes […]
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30th March 2016
Introduction by Keith Allan, HM Consul General St Petersburg I was delighted to invite Arkady Gutnikov, Director of the St Petersburg Institute of Law, to share his impressions of a study visit to the UK by a group of Russian lawyers, organised by a newly established London-based charity, Citizens’ Watch International. In this blog, Arkady […]
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