15th May 2017
Commemorating the heroic sacrifice of the veterans of the Arctic Convoys of World War Two has been an important part of my role in St Petersburg over the past four years. I was delighted and honoured to be invited to participate in special events at Loch Ewe in remote North Western Scotland on 6-7 May […]
6th April 2017
I paid a farewell visit to the ‘hero city’ of Murmansk in late March. I’ve enjoyed many interesting visits to this Arctic city over the past few years but my introduction back in autumn 2013 was a little unexpected. Instead of the routine range of introductory calls, my first visit to Murmansk included a prison […]
10th March 2017
I have made over a dozen visits to Arkhangelsk since autumn 2013. It’s a very special place in Russia for the UK and I was keen to make one final visit before I leave Russia to thank our key contacts and underline our commitment to future friendship and engagement. Visiting Arkhangelsk has been a highlight […]
3rd February 2017
Late January is always an important time for Scotland’s cultural relationship with Russia and in particular St Petersburg. Not only do we celebrate the birthday of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, but we also welcome friends from the St Petersburg Forum who visit St Petersburg every year for Days of Scotland. Importantly, the Days of […]
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20th December 2016
I was delighted to be invited to participate in the opening of a new exhibition in honour of the ice-breaker Krasin at the Presidential Library in St Petersburg on 15 December. The exhibition may have been called ‘The ice-breaker Krasin: 100 Years in the History of Russia’, but as regular readers of my blog will […]
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1st December 2016
Vologodskaya region is at the southern end of my consular district, Russia’s large North West Federal District. The two main cities are the regional administrative centre, Vologda, and the industrial centre, Cherepovets. Both lie approximately half way between Moscow and St Petersburg. I was keen to see and hear more about this region of Russia, […]
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24th November 2016
My most recent blog (Remembrance Day Commemorations in North West Russia) described our annual Remembrance events across North West Russia in honour of 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. There has […]
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21st November 2016
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
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
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 […]
Read more on Exhibition to mark the 100th anniversary of the Russian ice-breaker, Krasin – built in Newcastle, took part in the Arctic Convoys | Reply