Russian diplomats illegally entered restricted area of UK Parliament

In December 2024, a group of Russian diplomats found themselves in a restricted area during a public tour of the British Parliament. The Guardian reported on the incident.

According to sources cited by the publication, the incident occurred when a small group of Russian embassy staff separated from the tour and entered the House of Lords chamber. They were spotted by security and immediately removed from the restricted zone.

One representative of the British Parliament, commenting on the incident, stated: "Предполагаем, что дипломаты просто хотели продемонстрировать Кремлю, что смогли проникнуть в здание парламента. Ситуация, конечно, не идеальна, но важно, что их поймали до того, как было причинено какой-либо ущерб." (We assume that the diplomats simply wanted to demonstrate to the Kremlin that they had managed to penetrate the Parliament building. The situation is, of course, not ideal, but it is important that they were caught before any damage was done.)

Following the incident, members of Parliament and their colleagues received official written notifications from the Speakers of both Houses instructing them to refrain from inviting Russian diplomats to the Parliament. 

The letter also stated that the Russian ambassador and other accredited embassy staff are prohibited from visiting the British Parliament until further notice.

Visits to the UK Parliament by Russian diplomats have been banned since 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.