David and Goliath

Attempts to intimidate Russian employees of the British Council are absolutely unacceptable, said British Foreign Minister David Miliband. According to the Air Force, he made such a statement after employees of the Federal Security Service of Russia began to conduct "preventive work" with Russian citizens working in the council departments.

According to the head of the British Foreign Ministry, Russian citizens who want to use the services of the British Council, and the reputation of the Russian government will be the only losers in this situation.

The British Council confirmed that Russian citizens working in the council departments in St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg "were called on Tuesday for a conversation in the FSB, after which employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs came to them late in the evening and called them for further clarification on Wednesday."

On Wednesday, the Russian ambassador to London Yuri Fedotov was called to the British Foreign Ministry, Interfax reports. The content of the conversation is still unknown, however, as observers suggest, it was about the situation around the British Council.

According to Interfax, earlier a source in the law enforcement agencies of St. Petersburg said that the director of the British Council branch Stephen Kinnok was detained by the traffic police for drunk riding.

According to him, Kinnok, who was driving a car, violated the rules of the road, driving "under the brick" on the corner of the stable lane and the sink embankment.

"During the verification of documents, Mr. Kinnok, a sustainable smell of alcohol was seen. He refused a medical examination, but the traffic inspectorate drew up a protocol and assured him of the testimony of passers -by," a source of the agency said.

He emphasized that after half an hour the Consul General of Great Britain in St. Petersburg, William Elliot, arrived and took Kinnok with him.