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zhskyThe British Embassy in Moscow is decorated with a glass plaque listing all the English and, later, British Ambassadors to Russia. The first, Sir Thomas Smith, arrived in Moscow in 1604 as a result of intensive contacts between the two countries in the 16th century. For centuries the United Kingdom was an embodiment of the Western world for Russians, and British politics, even home affairs, were of great interest to the Russian educated classes.
Russians’ general interest in the United Kingdom still exists, but it has switched from politics to other spheres. The wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles was covered in the Russian media intensively, the national sports channel broadcasts Premiership football, and Russian nouveau riches send their kids to British private schools, but even the mainstream media are paying insignificant attention to the British General Election. I dare say that even the Russian educated class has only a vague idea about the difference between the Conservatives’ and Labor’s political platforms. Needless to say, Tony Blair is well known, both as George W. Bush’s ally and Vladimir Putin’s “personal friend”, but most Russians’ judgments of what happens in Downing Street are probably based on Hugh Grant’s performance in “Love, Actually”.
Russians’ general interest in the United Kingdom still exists, but it has switched from politics to other spheres. The wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles was covered in the Russian media intensively, the national sports channel broadcasts Premiership football, and Russian nouveau riches send their kids to British private schools, but even the mainstream media are paying insignificant attention to the British General Election. I dare say that even the Russian educated class has only a vague idea about the difference between the Conservatives’ and Labor’s political platforms. Needless to say, Tony Blair is well known, both as George W. Bush’s ally and Vladimir Putin’s “personal friend”, but most Russians’ judgments of what happens in Downing Street are probably based on Hugh Grant’s performance in “Love, Actually”.
