Russians stage 'retaliation protest' outside British embassy in Moscow

Both countries are involved in a war of words over Syria

Demonstrators outside the British embassy in Moscow (Life/screengrab )

A protest has been held outside the British embassy in Moscow in response to a demonstration at the Russian consul in London for Aleppo.

A small group of protestors chanted "Hands off Russia, hands off Syria" and held Russian flags and placards baring slogans such as "United Kingdom, stop!", "England – [this] is war".

It was in response to a protest held on Thursday, Russian media outlet Life reported, when protesters in London used hundreds of mannequin limbs to protest the Russian intervention in Aleppo.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed by airstrikes from Russian and Syrian government airstrikes on the city, drawing international condemnation.

The Russian consul complained to the Foreign Office about the London protest and said it “interrupted the work of the Embassy” and “compromised” the security of the diplomatic mission.

Both countries have been involved in a war of words over Syria and perceived Russian aggression in eastern Europe, particularly in Ukraine. Russia says it is fighting terrorism in Syria and acting against Nato encirclement.

In October, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson urged people to protest outside the Russian Embassy in London because of the country’s involvement in the Middle East.

However, in addition to being rebuked by Russian officials, his remarks were also criticised by Sir John Sawers, former head of MI6.

Sir John said: We all have to be a little bit careful and mindful of the security of our embassy in Moscow when we think about calling for demonstrations here in London….we need to be careful about the consequences of things that we call for."