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Andrey Yakovlev, General Consul of the Russian Federation in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, spoke out against the war in Ukraine and supported the armed struggle of Ukrainians against the Russian aggression.
«I, General Consul of Russia in Edinburgh, A.I. Yakovlev, categorically condemn the course of the special military operation of the Russian Armed Forces against the sovereign, independent state of Ukraine. I fully support every kind of assistance provide to the AFU by the EU countries,» the post on the General Consulate's Instagram page read. About half an hour after the posting of the message, the account was closed.
On May 9, 2020, during the beginning of the pandemic and with strict quarantine measures being in place, Andrei Yakovlev and other Russian diplomats laid flowers at the foot of the memorial erected in memory of the Soviet pilots who died in World War II. According to The Courier, the diplomats did not keep a social distance and their actions were considered inappropriate by many.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, a number ofScottish politicians demanded that Yakovlev and other Russian diplomats be expelled from Britain. BBC journalists tried to ask Yakovlev questions about the Russian «special operation» in Ukraine, but the diplomat, who was leaving his workplace, silently got into his car and drove away. The Daily Record journalists were also unable to contact him.