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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Russia to limit British Council | Russia to limit British Council |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The Russian government has ordered the British Council to close down its two offices outside Moscow by the beginning of January. | |
| The Russian foreign ministry said the council, which promotes British culture abroad, was operating illegally. | The Russian foreign ministry said the council, which promotes British culture abroad, was operating illegally. |
| The council has said its operations in Russia are within the law. | The council has said its operations in Russia are within the law. |
| A Russian official said the move was in retaliation for the expulsion from the UK of four Russian diplomats in July as part of a dispute. | |
| Foreign ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin also said the council had violated tax regulations. | Foreign ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin also said the council had violated tax regulations. |
| But the council says it is fully compliant with all tax laws and operates on the basis of an agreement signed in the 1990s. | But the council says it is fully compliant with all tax laws and operates on the basis of an agreement signed in the 1990s. |
| A British Council spokeswoman said it had already closed nine regional offices three months ago, transferring operations to Russian partners. | |
| Those closures leave the headquarters in Moscow, plus offices in St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. | |
| The spokeswoman said the council intends to continue its operations in Russia. | |
| Litvinenko affair | |
| The council is a not-for-profit charity funded by the British government. Its stated purpose is to promote British culture and education and build relationships between people in the UK and other countries. | |
| Relations between Russia and Britain have worsened since the murder of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in London late last year. | |
| In July, Britain expelled four Russian diplomats over Moscow's refusal to extradite a suspect in the Litvinenko killing. | |
| Russia expelled four British diplomats in retaliation. | |
| Moscow has acted to curb NGOs in recent years, accusing foreign governments of using them for political purposes. |