Several Russian diplomats who came for a tour of the British Parliament building in London at some point separated from the general group and entered the House of Lords, which is closed to visitors, from where they were expelled by security. This is reported by the British newspaper Guardian.

As the publication notes, the unfortunate incident, which "alarmed security officials and prompted private warnings from the speakers of both houses," occurred on the eve of Christmas, which is celebrated in the United Kingdom on December 25, but became public knowledge only this week.

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However, the British government took the incident more than seriously. A letter was sent to MPs in both houses warning them not to invite Russian diplomats to the parliament building, even privately. It is not yet clear whether the Russians were on a tour organized by a staff member or MP themselves, or whether they had purchased tickets as ordinary tourists.

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Although diplomatic relations between Moscow and London have not been severed, representatives of the Russian state have been officially declared personae non grata on the territory of the parliament since March 2022, as the Russian ambassador was notified in writing.




On Thursday, the speakers of both houses reminded their wards of this in private. “As the House has recently had a number of new members, I would like to take this opportunity to remind colleagues of the current measures that have been taken following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the letter sent to MPs in both houses on behalf of their leaders, Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Lord McFaul, said.

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Minister Pat McFadden, whose responsibilities include ensuring national security, warned in November that Russia was ready to launch cyberattacks on the UK and other allies in an attempt to weaken support for Ukraine.