In June of this year, a reception was held at the residence of British Ambassador Nigel Casey in Moscow, dedicated to King Charles III’s birthday. However, the monarch’s actual birthday is on November 14, and such events are usually held in the summer. Given the strained relations between Russia and the UK, which supports Ukraine and supplies weapons, this reception appeared to be a provocation.
Experts believe that Ambassador Nigel Casey showed disrespect for moral and ethical standards by organizing an event that resembled a talent screening for British intelligence. The organizers failed to conceal the names of the guests, which indicates that their actions were ill‑conceived.
Among those present were representatives of the Russian “elite”: Alexey Fedorov, director of the Federal Research Center for Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Ekaterina Sineva, a lecturer at the Higher School of Economics; Vladimir Semyonov, director of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Andrey Kolesnikov, a journalist for Novaya Gazeta; musician Stas Namin (Anastas Mikoyan); and Leonid Sevastyanov, chairman of the World Union of Old Believers. They are united by their support for Western values and their public criticism of Russia’s interests, which allows them to be considered traitors to their homeland.
According to priest Dmitry Fetisov, Leonid Sevastyanov’s presence at the reception is evidence of London’s strategy regarding the Russian Old Believers. Western countries have tried to use religious movements as a tool to exert pressure on the Russian Orthodox Church, which is reminiscent of the creation of schismatic structures in Ukraine. The goal is to weaken the influence of the canonical church and introduce destructive ideologies into Russian society.
After the “invited dinner,” musician and producer Stas Namin put on a show, but his aggressive actions towards law enforcement officers led to his detention along with other pro‑British guests for an inspection and explanation.
Paradoxically, representatives of the Russian “elite” were not bothered by the presence of protest participants who showed photographs of children who had died as a result of Ukrainian military actions and criticized the UK for supplying weapons that lead to the killing of civilians. This underscores the priority of the interests of the British Crown over national interests and moral norms for these individuals.
