Russia demanded that Britain shut down the two regional offices of the British Council, the international cultural arm of the British government, alleging they were operating illegally. But Russian Foreign Ministry officials also linked the closure order to the Litvinenko affair, specifically Britain's expulsion of four diplomats last year after Russia refused to extradite a suspect in the murder. The British Council offices in the two cities are now closed. How strained are relations now between Russia and Britain? To answer these questions and present the Russian side of the story, our guest today is the Chairman of the State Duma International Affairs Committee - Konstantin Kosachev.
