queen visits to russia

See Photos of Queen Elizabeth's 1994 State Visit to Russia

The Queen's trip to Russia, which followed Boris Yeltsin's trip to the UK, is depicted in season five of The Crown .

Here, see all the photos of Queen Elizabeth's 1994 trip to Russia, as shown on The Crown :

This is not from the State Visit to Russia, rather this is when Yeltsin visited the UK two years prior. Pictured are Naina Yeltsin, President Boris Yeltsin, Queen Elizabeth, and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace.

State Visit, 1994

Queen Elizabeth is pictured arriving in Moscow, wearing a glamorous fur coat.

A close-up of the Queen and Prince Philip upon their arrival in Russia.

Throughout the trip, she was accompanied by Boris Yeltsin, who served as president of Russia from 1991 to 1999.

Queen Elizabeth was not the first British royal to visit Russia. In 1973, Prince Philip and Princess Anne attended a horse eventing competition in Kyiv, then part of the Soviet Union, and in 1994, Prince Charles visited Saint Petersburg.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip stayed in the Kremlin as guests of Yletsin.

Here, the Queen and Yetsin are pictured at the Bolshoi theatre.

Queen Elizabeth met Patriarch Alexius II and mayor of Moscow Yury Luzhkov; they are pictured here outside Saint Basil's Cathedral.

"For Russia, this visit is the utmost recognition that our country is on the road to democracy," Yeltsin told reporters of the Queen's visit.

As The Crown shows, the murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family was a reason why the Queen had yet to visit Russia. Her grandfather, King George V, was Nicholas's first cousin.

"You and I have spent most of our lives believing that this evening could never happen. I hope that you are as delighted as I am to be proved wrong," Queen Elizabeth said to Yeltsin at a state banquet.

The two toasted at the banquet.

Queen Elizabeth toured Moscow during her four day trip, including visiting the famous Red Square.

She also met Russian children.

There were more formal events during the trip, too; Queen Elizabeth and Yeltsin attended a ceremony at the Piskarevskoye cemetery, a WWII memorial in St. Petersburg.

During the trip, Prince Philip and the Queen hosted the Yeltsins on board the Royal Yacht Britannia for a banquet.

During her Christmas address two months later, Queen Elizabeth reflected, "I never thought it would be possible in my lifetime to join with the Patriarch of Moscow and his congregation in a service in that wonderful cathedral in the heart of the Moscow Kremlin."

Queen Elizabeth would not return to Russia; Prince Philip returned once more, in 1995, as president of the World Wildlife Fund.

Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma , a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram .

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WATCH: Queen Elizabeth was the first British monarch to visit Russia

Queen Elizabeth II, photographed in 1993. RollingNews

On Oct 17, 1994, Queen Elizabeth II became the first ruling British monarch to set foot on Russian soil.

As the eyes of the world are on Russia and the invasion of Ukraine, which has caused I migration of refugees unlike anything seen since World War II, we thought it interesting to look back at the October 1994 of Queen Elizabeth II to the Kremlin, by invitation of the then Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

In 1994 the Queen made a three-day visit to Russia. Three years before had seen the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when Yeltsin took office. His hope was that Her Royal Majesty's visit would strengthen the trade relationship with Britain and the Western World. 

Yeltsin's spokesman, Vyacheslav Kostikov, said at the time "We realize that the British queen would never have visited a Communist country."

• History of "God Save the King", Britain's National Anthem

Personally, 1994 was also a difficult time for the Queen personally as her son, Prince Charles, had separated from Princess Diana, just two years earlier. A biography of the Prince, by Jonathan Dimbleby, had caused a media frenzy over comments made by Charles with relation to his relationship with his mother and father, Prince Philip. 

The Queen and Prince Philip landed in Moscow on Oct 17, 1994. They were then taken to the Kremlin where they were greeted by Yeltsin and his wife, Naina. The Royal pair were also treated to a special performance of the Bolshoi Ballet.

The climax of the tour was a state banquet given on the final evening by the Queen aboard the royal yacht Britannia which had sailed to St. Petersburg to meet the royal party. 

They left Russia on Oct 20 and broke the journey home by visiting Finland. 

Since 1994 some members of the Royal family have visited Russia, including Princess Anne. She visited in 2016 to mark the 75th anniversary of the first Arctic convoys from the United Kingdom during World War II. Prince Charles also Russia in 2003. This visit resulted in a return invitation to President Vladimir Putin to visit Britain later that year.

Check out some AP footage of the Queen having dinner at the Kremlin:

Related: Queen Elizabeth II

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Queen Elizabeth Makes Historic Visit to Russia

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Queen Elizabeth II, leaving behind the latest Royal Family flap, came to the Kremlin on Monday on the first visit to Russia by a British monarch.

A new authorized biography of her son and heir, Prince Charles, threatened to overshadow the visit by the queen and her husband, Prince Philip. In the book, Charles accuses Philip of forcing him into a loveless marriage.

Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin’s chief spokesman, Vyacheslav V. Kostikov, said the queen’s visit is evidence of Russia’s break with its totalitarian past.

“We realize that the British queen would never have visited a Communist country,” Kostikov said.

Both the queen and Prince Philip are related to the imperial Romanov family of Czar Nicholas II, executed by Bolshevik revolutionaries in 1918. The queen’s grandfather, King George V, the czar’s first cousin, refused to give Nicholas II asylum a year earlier.

The 68-year-old queen, wearing a fur coat and pillbox hat, was greeted at Moscow’s Vnukovo-2 airport by First Deputy Prime Minister Oleg N. Soskovets. A beaming Yeltsin and his wife, Naina, gave the royal couple a formal welcome at the ornate St. George’s Hall in the Kremlin.

The royal couple are staying in the Kremlin as Yeltsin’s guests. They attended a performance of “Giselle” at the Bolshoi Ballet on Monday evening, sitting in the “czar’s box” under the coat of arms of the former Soviet Union.

Back in Britain, newspapers were full of speculation about excerpts from the biography of Charles.

Charles recalls how, as a boy, his mother paid him little attention and his father belittled him to the point of tears. As an adult, Charles suggests that Philip pressured him into marrying Princess Diana, whom he says he never loved.

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The Queen’s 10 most memorable royal trips abroad

By Hope Coke

While most of us associate travel abroad with holidays, things were rather different for the Queen, who spent much of her lengthy reign traversing the globe in her capacity as monarch. From State visits to Commonwealth tours, she was a master (or mistress) of diplomacy, meeting a slew of high-profile world leaders (from the esteemed to the controversial), and visiting historic destinations – often in the company of her late, beloved husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. Find out more about some of her most intriguing international visits below.

Commonwealth Tour: 1953-1954 When the Queen acceded the throne following the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952, she began her reign with a monumental tour of the Commonwealth of Nations – of which she had just become head. The longest Commonwealth tour to date, it lasted an impressive six months (from November 1953 to May 1954), and traversed 44,000 miles: taking in the West Indies, Australasia (encompassing Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands), Asia and Africa. It marked a significant moment for the new Queen as she fully embraced her role and the duty that came with it, as her and her husband, Prince Philip, left the young Prince Charles and Princess Anne behind for much of the trip. The family were then reunited in Malta, before they all sailed home together via Gibraltar aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia.

USA: 1957 Although she had visited the USA prior to becoming Queen, October 1957 marked Elizabeth II’s first visit to the country in her capacity as monarch. She was hosted by the 34th US President, Dwight D Eisenhower, for a four-day State trip, during which she visited New York City, Washington DC and Williamsburg in Virginia. Eisenhower had first met Elizabeth when she was a young princess, so the reunion carried particular poignancy for them both.

India: 1961 India had been part of the British Empire within the Queen’s lifetime, with her own parents, King George VI and the Queen Mother (then Queen Consort) having been the last Emperor and Empress of India until the British Raj was dissolved in 1947. Coming in light of England’s problematic imperial history, it marked a new chapter in relations between the two countries when the Queen and Prince Philip made a State visit to India in 1961 – the first trip by a reigning British Monarch since the country gained its independence. The previous visit had taken place some 50 years before, in 1911, when King George V and Queen Mary of Teck were proclaimed Emperor and Empress of India at the Delhi Durbar.

Silver Jubilee Commonwealth Tour: 1977 To mark the significant milestone of 25 years on the throne, the Queen undertook a special Silver Jubilee tour in 1977. The monarch and Prince Philip travelled over 56,000 miles, visiting 14 Commonwealth countries, such as Western Samoa, Australia and New Zealand, as well as making their first ever trip to the island nations of Fiji and Tonga. The Queen is said to have personally wished to undertake such an ambitious tour, in order that she could share in her Jubilee celebrations with as many people as possible.

Germany: 1990 Although the Queen had paid numerous previous visits to West Germany during her reign, her trip in November 1990 marked her first journey to the country since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 – a significant historical moment as the Cold War de-escalated across Eastern Europe. The Queen was hosted by President Richard von Weizsäcker, and was greeted by some 600 children waving Union Jack flags as she visited the Laarbruch RAF base for an inspection. Making a rare trip alone, rather than in the company of the Duke of Edinburgh, the monarch then went to have tea with Von Weizsäcker at his Hammerschmidt Villa in the German city of Bonn.

Russia: 1994 Another historic event was the Queen’s visit to Russia in October 1994, constituting her first trip to the country. Hosted by Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, a spokesman for Yeltsin commented on the significance of the moment, stating, ‘We realise that the British queen would never have visited a Communist country’. The Queen was joined by her husband, Prince Philip, first visiting Moscow (where they stayed at the Kremlin as Yeltsin’s guests), before going on to St Petersburg.

South Africa: 1995 The Queen visited South Africa as a young princess with her parents and sister, King George VI, his Queen Consort (later the Queen Mother) and Princess Margaret, and turned 21 during the tour. In a speech broadcast from Cape Town on her birthday, the future Queen pledged her commitment to the Commonwealth, promising that her ‘whole life… shall be devoted to your service’. Yet the dawn of Apartheid in 1948 meant the Royal Family did not visit the country for a number of years (despite the Queen technically being its monarch until 1961). So it was an important moment when the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh travelled to South Africa aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia in March 1995, coming as a gesture of support to its new government after the end of Apartheid, when they were hosted by new President Nelson Mandela.

Golden Jubilee Commonwealth Tour: 2002 To mark the 50th anniversary of her accession to the throne, the Queen undertook a special Golden Jubilee Tour to visit four Commonwealth countries – Jamaica, New Zealand, Australia and Canada – kicking off in February 2002. Festivities were somewhat subdued, however, in light of the sad death of the Queen’s younger sister, Princess Margaret, earlier that month. Yet there were some memorable moments during the trip nonetheless, such as a power cut during a banquet on the final night of the Queen and Philip’s stay in Jamaica.

By Keith Dovkants

By Isaac Zamet

By Ben Jureidini

Canada: 2010 Elizabeth II was technically the Queen of Canada, albeit as a constitutional monarch with a largely symbolic function, represented by Governor Generals and Lieutenant Governors within the country. It’s perhaps unsurprising, therefore, that she has visited Canada more than any other country: an impressive 27 times during her reign. The most recent trip was in the sumer of 2010, when the monarch and the late Prince Philip were hosted by the 27th Governor General of Canada, Michaëlle Jean. The couple’s visit coincided with Canada Day on 1 July, which they celebrated on Parliament Hill in Ontario. There, the monarch gave a speech to a crowd of some 100,000 revelers, wishing them ‘all the very happiest Canada Day.’

Malta: 2015 The Queen had not been abroad for some seven years prior to her death. Her most recent international trip, however, was to Malta, for the 24th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November. Despite the official nature of the visit, during which she attended a summit with the theme of ‘The Commonwealth – Adding Global Value’, Malta also carries particular sentimental significance for both the Queen and her late husband, Prince Philip, who accompanied her on the trip. The royal couple lived in the country from 1949 to 1951, while Philip was stationed there as a naval officer before his wife became Queen. It is said to have been an extremely happy time for the young couple, adding particular poignancy to the fact that their 2015 visit was their last trip abroad together.

By Isaac Bickerstaff

By Chandler Tregaskes

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Here’s every country Queen Elizabeth II visited in her 70-year reign

From Algeria to Zimbabwe, the Queen visited at least 117 different countries

Queen Elizabeth II, who died earlier today , was probably the best-travelled monarch in history. In her 70 years as UK monarch, Her Maj apparently travelled to at least 117 different countries – and covered over a million miles, according to The Telegraph .

The Queen travelled for loads of reasons, from ceremonial openings to official state visits, but she got around so much primarily because she was head of state for the Commonwealth: a political association of countries that were largely conquered by Britain back when it was an imperial power. RECOMMENDED: How the world is paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

In fact, Elizabeth II wasn’t just the Queen of the United Kingdom: during her time on the throne, she reigned over a total of 32 sovereign countries. Having started her reign in the final years of the British Empire, she ruled over a number of former British colonies as they became independent sovereign states. Many, but not all, later cut ties with the monarchy and became republics.

Queen Elizabeth II reigned, at various points, over Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Ceylon (later Sri Lanka), Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Sierra Leone, the Solomon Islands, South Africa, Tanganyika (later Tanzania), Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda and, of course, the UK . She was also proclaimed as queen by Rhodesia, the predecessor to Zimbabwe.

By the time of her death, she was still the queen of 15 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and the UK. She was the Queen of Barbados until November 2021, when the Caribbean nation became a republic.

As you’d expect, the Queen visited all of these places – and plenty more – during her 70-year reign. Here is a full list of all the countries and states the Queen travelled to during her reign, and the dates when she visited.

Algeria (1980)

Antigua and Barbuda (1966, 1977, 1985)

Australia (1953, 1963, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2011)

Austria (1969)

Bahamas (1966, 1977, 1985, 1994)

Bahrain (1979)

Bangladesh (1983)

Barbados (1966, 1977, 1985, 1989)

Belgium (1966, 1993, 1998, 2007)

Belize (1985, 1994)

Bermuda (1953, 1975, 1983, 1994, 2009)

Botswana (1979)

Brazil  (1968)

British Virgin Islands (1966, 1977)

Brunei (1998)

Canada (1957, 1959, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2010)

Cayman Islands (1983, 1994)

Chile (1968)

China (1986)

Cook Islands (1974)

Cyprus (1961, 1983, 1984, 1993)

Czech Republic (1996)

Denmark (1957, 1979)

Dominica (1966, 1985, 1994)

Estonia (2006)

Ethiopia (1965)

Fiji (1953, 1963, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1982)

Finland (1976, 1994)

France (1957, 1972, 1992, 1994, 2004, 2014)

Gambia (1961)

Germany (1990, 1992, 2004, 2015)

Ghana (1961, 1999)

Grenada (1966, 1985)

Guyana (1966, 1994)

Hungary (1993)

Iceland (1990)

India (1961, 1983, 1997)

Indonesia (1974)

Iran (1961)

Ireland (2011)

Italy (1961, 1980, 2000, 2014)

Jamaica (1953, 1966, 1975, 1983, 1994, 2002)

Japan (1975)

Jordan (1984)

Kenya (1952, 1972, 1983, 1991)

Kiribati (1982)

Kuwait (1979)

Latvia (2006)

Liberia (1961)

Libya (1954)

Lithuania (2006)

Luxembourg (1976)

Malawi (1979)

Malaysia (1972, 1989, 1998)

Maldives (1972)

Malta (1954, 1967, 1992, 2005, 2015)

Mauritius (1972)

Mexico (1975, 1983)

Morocco (1980)

Mozambique (1999)

Namibia (1991)

Nauru (1982)

Nepal (1961, 1986)

Netherlands (1958, 1988, 2007)

New Zealand (1953, 1963, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1995, 2002)

Nigeria (1956, 2003)

Norway (1955, 1981, 2001)

Oman (1979, 2010)

Pakistan (1961, 1997)

Panama (1953)

Papua New Guinea (1974, 1977, 1982)

Poland (1996)

Portugal (1957, 1985)

Qatar (1979)

Russia (1994)

Saint Kitts and Nevis (1985)

Saint Lucia (1966, 1985)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1966, 1985)

Samoa (1977)

Saudi Arabia (1979)

Seychelles (1972)

Sierra Leone (1961)

Singapore (1972, 1989)

Solomon Islands (1982)

South Africa (1995, 1999)

South Korea (1999)

Slovakia (2008)

Slovenia (2008)

Spain (1988)

Sri Lanka (1954, 1981)

Sudan (1965)

Sweden (1956, 1983)

Switzerland (1980)

Tanzania (1979)

Thailand (1972, 1996)

Tonga (1953, 1970, 1977)

Trinidad & Tobago (1966, 1985, 2009)

Tunisia (1980)

Turkey (1971, 2008)

Turks and Caicos Islands (1966)

Tuvalu (1982)

Uganda (1954, 2007)

UAE (1979, 2010)

USA (1957, 1976, 1983, 1991, 2007)

Vatican City (1961, 1980, 2000, 2014)

West Germany (1965, 1978, 1987)

Yugoslavia (1972)

Zambia (1979)

Zimbabwe (1991)

What will happen now that the Queen has died?

Will there be a UK bank holiday to mark the death of the Queen?

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• Ed Cunningham News Editor, Time Out UK and Time Out London

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Imelda Staunton Recreates Queen Elizabeth's 1994 Visit to Russia While Filming 'The Crown'

The fifth season of  The Crown  will focus on 1990 to 1997, including the Queen's "annus horribilis"

Stephanie Petit is a Royals Editor, Writer and Reporter at PEOPLE.

Imelda Staunton is recreating Queen Elizabeth 's state visit to Russia in the latest scenes from The Crown .

The upcoming season Netflix's hit drama will include the monarch's 1994 visit to Russia. In photos from the set, Staunton sports a yellow dress topped by a fur coat and accessorized with gloves, her signature handbag and a coordinating hat, recreating the ensemble worn by the Queen as she inspected Russian service personnel at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow.

The Queen's three-day visit in October 1994 marked the first time a ruling British monarch had visited Russia — and it remains her only visit to the country. She was accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip , on the trip. The Duke of Edinburgh, who died last year at age 99, will be portrayed in season 5 and 6 of The Crown by Jonathan Pryce , as the Netflix drama switched out their cast as the characters age.

Shooting the scenes is of particular significance given Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Britain's royal family for voicing their support for the country on March 1.

Zelenskyy tweeted that he and his wife, Olena, "are grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge @RoyalFamily that at this crucial time, when Ukraine is courageously opposing Russia's invasion, they stand by our country and support our brave citizens."

"Good will triumph," he added.

Queen Elizabeth , 95, also made a "generous donation" last week to the Disasters Emergency Committee's Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

The fifth season of The Crown will reportedly focus on 1990 to 1997 and feature a new cast, including Dominic West playing Prince Charles and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana.

The storyline may focus in part on 1992, which the Queen declared to be an "annus horribilis" (Latin for "horrible year"). It was the year in which three of her four children were separated from their spouses and a devastating fire hit Windsor Castle.

Though season 5 was initially intended to be the series' curtain call, creators changed their minds and, to fans' great relief, promised that the historical drama will continue to rule Netflix queues for a final, sixth season.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE 's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton , Meghan Markle and more!

"As we started to discuss the storylines for Series 5, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons," creator Peter Morgan said in July 2020. "To be clear, Series 6 will not bring us any closer to present-day — it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail."

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Proof The Crown Season 5 Will Cover Queen Elizabeth II's Visit to Russia

The latest scenes from the crown prove that season five will cover queen elizabeth ii's visit to russia in 1994. check out the details here..

Her Majesty is heading to Russia in season five. 

Production for season five of The Crown —starring Imelda Staunton , Jonathan Pryce , Lesley Manville and Jonny Lee Miller —is currently underway. And in a photograph taken of the set, it's clear that the next installment of the period drama will cover Queen Elizabeth II 's state visit to Russia in 1994.

Staunton, who stars as Queen Elizabeth II, alongside Pryce as Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh, is seen wearing a mustard yellow dress and fur coat, along with a matching black hat and her signature purse in the set snap. 

The outfit is a recreation of the one that the Queen wore at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow while she inspected the Russian service personnel.

In the scene, the characters are inside a royal limousine, while driving through a Russian City in convoy with diplomats and police escorts. Extras were also seen lining the street and waving flags as they passed by. 

The Queen's visit back in October 1994, lasted three days and marked the first—and only—time a ruling British monarch had visited Russia.

As for the Royal family's stance amid Russia's involvement in the Ukraine crisis? In a tweet on March 1, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy  shared that he and his wife Olena are "grateful" to Britain's royal family for voicing their support for the country.

"Olena and I are grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge @RoyalFamily that at this crucial time, when Ukraine is courageously opposing Russia's invasion, they stand by our country and support our brave citizens. Good will triumph," he wrote.

Netflix first announced that Staunton would star as the Queen for the fifth season of the drama series back in January 2020.

"Imelda is an astonishing talent and will be a fantastic successor to Claire Foy and Olivia Colman ," Peter Morgan , creator, writer and executive producer said in a statement at the time. 

Imelda will join Elizabeth Debicki  as Princess Diana  and  Dominic West  as Prince Charles .

The Crown season five is set to premiere later this year.

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‘The Crown’ Season 5 on Netflix: Fact and fiction in the ‘Russian episode’

FACT: Blood ties between the Royal Family and the Romanovs 

Episode 6 of ‘The Crown’ Season 5 begins with the execution of the Romanov family, a fate the Windsors could easily have saved their relatives from. Scenes from 1918, in which everyone speaks pretty good Russian, are intercut with the king out hunting. It was the king’s consort, Queen Mary, as not only the makers of the film but also some historians believe - who took the decision not to send a ship to rescue the Romanovs . Nicholas II and George V were first cousins and even looked alike. Consequently, Elizabeth II, the granddaughter of George V and particularly her consort, Prince Philip, great grandson of Nicholas I, were very wary about relations with Russia and regarded the Soviet authorities as “regicides”, which is why, during her entire reign, Elizabeth II never once visited the USSR.  

FACT: The Queen’s state visit to Russia

The latest season of ‘The Crown’ covers the first half of the 1990s, when the Soviet Union collapsed and democracy, ushered in by Boris Yeltsin, took the place of communism. It was after the collapse of the USSR and the emergence of an independent Russia that the queen paid her first visit to Moscow and St. Petersburg . It was a historic visit in every sense. She was the first British monarch to come to the Russian state. The queen’s program included all the main sights of Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as the opening of a special museum dedicated to British history, but this was not included in the series. 

FICTION: Reasons for visiting Russia 

In ‘The Crown’, Elizabeth II visits Russia entirely for personal reasons - she wants to reconnect with her husband, Prince Philip, who, inspired by family links with the Romanovs, had become increasingly immersed in the Orthodox faith and his Slavic roots . According to the series, the Royal couple visit Moscow exclusively for the burial of their ancestors. Prince Philip’s DNA was indeed used for the scientific examination of the remains of the Romanovs, but this was more a consequence of, rather than the reason for, the Royal visit. The interment of the bones discovered in the Urals only took place in the late 1990s, although the forensic tests - involving both Russian and British experts - continued until the 2010s.

Read more: How did Tsar Nicholas II become a saint?

FICTION: A drunken Yeltsin on a tank, on a table and in Buckingham Palace 

The chronology of ‘The Crown’ season 5 is its weakest element. For instance, Elizabeth’s wish to meet Boris Yeltsin (played by Belarusian actor Anatoliy Kotenyov), the leader of a newly-democratic Russia, arises almost immediately after she sees him on a tank near Moscow’s White House . At the same time, Prime Minister John Major tells the queen that the Russian president has long gone mad and has sunk into alcoholism, to the soundtrack of ‘Kalinka Malinka’, but this does not prevent the queen from receiving Yeltsin and his wife in her palace and then agreeing to a return visit to Moscow. In reality, Yeltsin never went to Buckingham Palace, although his meeting with Major did take place, while his alcohol problems did catch up with him a certain time after his audience with the queen. 

FACT/FICTION: Tchaikovsky, Dostoevsky and the decline of the monarchy 

Season 5 of ‘The Crown’ has turned out to be the most intimate of all and the “Russian strand” has played no small part in this. In the very first episode, Prince Charles - the sole member of the Royal Family willing to take a fresh look at the monarchy - listens with interest to a radio report on the collapse of the Soviet Union, while Elizabeth’s ill-starred sister, Margaret, gets ready for a ball to the theme from Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake’. This foreshadows Diana’s meeting in the final episode with the Al-Fayed family, which is to play a baleful role in the subsequent season. “One of the most memorable accounts of a long, successful marriage comes from Dostoevsky’s wife, Anna. She and Fyodor were, she said, of… contrasting character. Different temperaments. Entirely opposing views, yet they never tried to change one another,” John Major tells the queen. It’s a pity that the House of Windsor took a different route.

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US Treasury official visits Ukraine to discuss sanctions on Moscow and seizing Russian assets

United States Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo walks in the city center during an official visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

United States Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo watches a photo exhibition of Ukrainian-US photographer Sasha Maslov at Naked-room gallery during his official visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

United States Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo buys a jacket at the Riotdevision store during his official visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

United States Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo walks in the city center during his official visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

United States Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo looks at a jacket at Riotdevision store during his official visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

United States Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo takes selfies with young activists during his official visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

United States Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo tries on a jacket at Riotdevision store during his official visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

United States Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo speaks to representatives of Riotdevision store during his official visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

United States Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo visits the Riotdevision store during his official visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior U.S. Treasury official has met with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv to discuss U.S. financial support, enforcing sanctions on Russia and using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s benefit in the war with Moscow.

The visit this week by Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo came as Russia gains territory after a lengthy delay in U.S. military aid left Ukraine at the mercy of Russia’s bigger army. Meantime, the outlook for Ukraine’s state finances is on shakier ground.

“Russia’s economy has become a wartime economy where every means of production and industry is now focused on building weapons to fight their war of choice and aggression here in Ukraine,” Adeyemo told reporters Wednesday in Ukraine’s capital. “And we need to do everything that we can to go after that.”

Adeyemo held talks with officials in Ukraine’s finance ministry and president’s office. At the Kyiv School of Economics, he spoke with faculty and civil society groups working on sanctions policy and ways to make the penalties against Russia more effective.

President Joe Biden signed legislation in April that allows Washington to seize the roughly $5 billion in Russian state assets located in the United States. But the majority of the $260 billion in frozen Russian assets are in Europe, and U.S. officials are hoping for a consensus from their European allies on how to spend that money.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met in Italy last week with her counterparts from the Group of Seven nation to discuss how to squeeze money out of the frozen Russian assets to back Kyiv’s war effort.

She said loaning Ukraine $50 billion from the assets “has been mentioned as a possible number that could be achieved,” but that the specific approach was under discussion.

Adeyemo, meanwhile, took aim at China’s economic support of Russia through its sale of dual-use goods. U.S. officials have said China has surged sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology that Moscow is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry for use in the war.

China has said it is not providing Russia with arms or military assistance, although Beijing has maintained robust economic connections with Moscow, alongside India and other countries, amid sanctions from Washington and its allies.

“The only way that Russia is able to build the weapons they want is that they can get dual-use goods from China,” Adeyemo said. “Only through the support of the Chinese are Russia able to build these weapons at the scale they need to continue this war and to be able to fight this war of aggression and to be able to build the military industrial complex that they need going forward.”

U.S. officials are pressuring American companies to ensure their products do not end up in the hands of Russia’s military.

Daleep Singh, deputy U.S. national security adviser for international economics, said in a speech Tuesday at the Brookings Institute in Washington that he wanted “to issue an urgent call for corporate responsibility — a percentage of Russian battlefield weaponry with U.S. or allied branded components is unacceptably high. Put your creativity and resources to work. Know your customers and know their customers.”

Adeyemo said he will give speech Friday in Berlin on how the U.S. and its allies “can do more to make sure that goods from our countries are not being shipped through third countries and ending up in Russia as well.”

Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. has sanctioned more than 4,000 people and businesses, including 80% of Russia’s banking sector by assets.

Kullab reported from Kyiv, Ukraine.

Weekend rundown: Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

Energy shutdowns hit Ukraine after Russian attacks target infrastructure

Ukraine imposed emergency power shutdowns in most of the country on Sunday, a day after Russia unleashed large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure and claimed it made gains in the eastern Donetsk province.

The shutdowns were in place in all but three regions of Ukraine following Saturday’s drone and missile attack on energy targets that injured at least 19 people.

Ukraine’s state-owned power grid operator Ukrenergo said the shutdowns affected both industrial and household consumers.

Sustained Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid in recent weeks have forced the government to institute nationwide rolling blackouts. Without adequate air defenses to counter assaults and allow for repairs, though, the shortages could still worsen as need spikes in late summer and the bitter-cold winter.

Among the most significant recent strikes were an April barrage that damaged Kyiv’s largest thermal power plant and a massive attack on May 8 that targeted power generation and transmission facilities in several regions.

Following Saturday’s barrage, Ukraine’s air force said Sunday that air defenses had shot down all 25 drones launched overnight.

Russia claimed Sunday that it had taken control of the village of Umanske in the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region.

Russia’s coordinated new offensive has centered on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, but seems to include testing Ukrainian defenses in Donetsk farther south, while also launching incursions in the northern Sumy and Chernihiv regions.

In Russia, six people were injured in shelling in the city of Shebekino in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said Sunday. He also said that a local official, the deputy head of the Korochansky district, had been killed by “detonation of ammunition.” He gave no details.

In the neighboring Kursk region, three people were injured Sunday when an explosive device was dropped from a drone, according to acting regional head Alexey Smirnov.

Speaking at Asia’s premier security conference in Singapore, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused China on Sunday of helping Russia to disrupt an upcoming Swiss-organized peace conference on the war in Ukraine.

General election latest: UK anti-migrant stance 'biggest economic threat' to Scotland, SNP leader claims

The Conservative government has pledged £1bn a year in a bid to increase the number of GP appointments in the UK. And Labour has announced plans to reduce migration.

Sunday 2 June 2024 21:09, UK

• General Election 2024

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Election news

• Diane Abbott intends 'to run and win' as Labour MP
• Labour lead grows by six points in a week, poll suggests
• Tories pledge £1bn to increase GP appointments
• Starmer announces plans to lower legal migration
• SNP launches election campaign
• Labour: Abbott row 'resolved' | Treatment by Labour 'had element of cruelty'
• Conservative defectors had 'their own reasons for going'
• Be in the audience for our election leaders event
• Live reporting by Tim Baker and, earlier,  Faith Ridler

Expert analysis

• Adam Boulton: 'Starmtroopers' are purging Labour
• Ali Fortescue:  Images both parties want to present clash with reality
• Darren McCAffrey :  Scotland used to be a Labour fiefdom - it could become so again

Election essentials

• Trackers: Who's leading polls? | Is PM keeping promises?
• Campaign Heritage: Memorable moments from elections past
• Follow Sky's politics podcasts: Electoral Dysfunction | Politics At Jack And Sam's
• Read more: Who is standing down? | Key seats to watch | How to register to vote | What counts as voter ID? | Check if your constituency is changing | Your essential guide to election lingo | Sky's election night plans

It's just gone 8pm - here's what you need to know as the first full week of campaigning ends.

We're ending our live coverage here for today - but will be picking it up again in the morning.

Let us get you up to speed on everything you may have missed today…

• Diane Abbott  says she will stand and win as a Labour candidate in the election;
• Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper  told Sky News that Ms Abbott had not been offered a peerage   in exchange for not standing as an MP;
• And on policy, Labour announced plans to reduce net migration - with Sir Keir accusing the Conservatives of having "repeatedly broken their promises" to get the number down;
• Shadow schools minister Catherine McKinnell said the party would use the forecasts to get net migration to 315,000 by 2028. 
• The Conservative Party pledged to build 100 new GP surgeries if they get into power;
• Rishi Sunak was out campaigning in London;
• Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said Tory defectors had their 'own' reasons for leaving the party;
• And health minister Maria Caulfield said it wasn't the number of people on NHS waiting lists that mattered - but the length of time they spent on it .
• SNP leader John Swinney attacked Labour as he launched his party's general election campaign;
• He said immigration was important to Scotland - and views in the UK threatened that ;
• Sky political correspondent Darren McCaffrey said the SNP faces losing several seats in the areas that were once Labour heartlands .

Here are a couple of other stories that may interest you:

Our essential political podcast,  Politics At Jack And Sam's , is going out every week day through the election campaign to bring a short burst of everything you need to know about the day ahead as this election unfolds.

Tap here to follow Politics At Jack At Sam's wherever you get your podcasts .

A word cloud from pollsters More In Common, found that a lot of people think the general election campaign is "boring".

Ali asks our panel if they agree that it is the case (with a disclaimer that both are on a politics show on a Sunday night).

James Starkie, the former Home Office adviser, says he thinks it's partly to do with the parties' leaders.

He says that, even though Jeremy Corbyn wasn't charismatic, he was compelling.

And no-one would describe Boris Johnson as boring, Mr Starkie says.

But there is a fatigue in politics at the moment. Mr Starkie reckons a lot of people will only tune in for the last week or so of the election.

The New Statesman's Freddie Hayward says Rishi Sunak needs to avoid the mistakes he made with Liz Truss during public debates - where he came across as rude by interrupting.

He also spoke too quickly, Mr Hayward says.

Both leaders, he reckons, will be working with their teams ahead of the debates to make sure they're best prepared.

And with that, Ali ends the Politics Hub show.

Join us again tomorrow, when Sophy Ridge will be back at the helm.

By Tamara Cohen , political correspondent

As AI deepfakes cause havoc during other elections, experts warn the UK's politicians should be prepared.

"Just tell me what you had for breakfast", says Mike Narouei, of ControlAI, recording on his laptop. I speak for around 15 seconds, about my toast, coffee and journey to their offices.

Within seconds, I hear my own voice, saying something entirely different.

In this case, words I have written: "Deepfakes can be extremely realistic and have the ability to disrupt our politics and damage our trust in the democratic process."

We have used free software, it hasn't taken any advanced technical skills, and the whole thing has taken next to no time at all.

This is an audio deepfake - video ones take more effort to produce - and as well as being deployed by scammers of all kinds, there is deep concern, in a year with some two billion people going to the polls, in the US, India and dozens of other countries including the UK, about their impact on elections.

You can read more from Sky News below:

Our panel is now discussing the NHS.

James Starkie says that shadow health secretary Wes Streeting's pledge to reform the NHS has struck a chord with the public.

He says that it does need to be digitised drastically, among other things, and Mr Streeting has spoken about that.

But the devil is in the details, Mr Starkie says, and also the funding - which Labour has not set out its plans for.

Freddie Hayward, a political correspondent at the New Statesman, says it remains to be seen if Labour has the political capital to reform the NHS if they come into power.

He says the situation is tricky due to the party's inheritance - and there will be a swathe of issues if they come into power.

Maria Caulfield, the health minister, is now speaking to Ali about the NHS.

Ali asks about the NHS waiting lists - noting they doubled between 2010 and the pandemic.

Ms Caulfield says that "it's not how many people are on the waiting list that is the important factor".

She adds: "Because as we develop new treatments as we open up new services, as people get conditions that can be treated, waiting lists of course will grow".

What does matter, she says, is "how long" people wait.

People have gone from waiting two years this time last year, to an average of 16 to 18 weeks, Ms Caulfield claims.

Building new surgeries

Ms Caulfield is then asked about her party's pledge today to build 100 new GP surgeries and modernise another 150.

Ali points out that Boris Johnson pledged 40 new hospitals in 2019 - and it is predicted these will not be done by the 2030 deadline.

Ms Caulfield dismisses the concerns of the National Audit Office - and says the target remains 2030.

Back to our panel, and they are discussing migration.

James Starkie, the former Home Office adviser, says Labour adopting the OBR's forecast for net migration to fall to 315,000 by 2028 is important.

He says targets are "hostage to fortune" - as the Tories have found out.

But committing to the OBR's figures impacts how a government can forecast their tax income - and this was shown when Liz Truss had to accept large levels of immigration to fund her tax cuts.

Freddie Hayward says that cutting immigration will cost money - taking the example of employing UK people in the care sector costs more as wages are higher.

And that has to be funded from council budgets, who will look to central government for help.

Shadow schools minister Catherine McKinnell is asked by Ali about reports that private schools are blaming Labour's proposed VAT rise on the institutions for closing.

She says it is "right" for private schools to pay VAT - adding that there have been a number of above-inflation rises to school fees in recent years and student numbers have not fallen.

The shadow minister says the money raised from the tax rise will be spent on state schools, where "nine out of ten" children get their education.

She adds that thinktanks have factored behavioural changes into their forecasts of schools fees being taxed - and a net benefit was predicted.

On tonight's Politics Hub with Ali Fortescue , Labour's shadow schools minister Catherine McKinnell was asked about the party's immigration policy.

It comes after Labour made a pledge to reduce net migration ( read more here ).

Ms McKinnell was asked if her party would stick by the forecasts based on current policy produced by the Office of Budgetary Responsibility (OBR), which stated net migration would fall from 685,000 at the end of last year to 315,000 by the 2027/2028 period.

The Labour candidate first said the party respects the OBR, and that she did not know what the projected figure was.

When Ali told her what the target was, she was unclear if Labour would accept the figure as part of its plans should it take power.

Ms McKinnell then said that "if that's what the OBR is predicting, then that's what we will work within".

Asked if this was then Labour's target to reduce migration, Ms McKinnell says Labour does not have a target for reducing migration.

She adds that immigration can be a benefit to the economy, but UK also needs to grow its on workforce.

Ali turns to your panel to discuss the Diane Abbott row - and the veteran Labour politician standing again for the party ( read more here ).

Freddie Hayward, a political correspondent at the New Statesman, says what happens this week will decide whether a line has been drawn under the squabble.

He says that, if Ms Abbott comes out in the media it could inflame the situation again.

But if she backs the leadership, then it will maybe see things move on.

James Starkie, a former Home Office adviser, points out that Labour has made a series of decisions which have been questionable.

This includes what happened to Ms Abbott, as well as things like the row back on a £28bn climate pledge.

He says if Labour wants to be in government, it needs to get on top of such events.

Good evening. Welcome to the first Sunday Politics Hub – in case you missed it, we are now going seven days a week - so I will be with you on the weekends from here on in.

And well, today the parties are focusing on two things that always come right at the top of the list of what the public care about.

Healthcare and immigration.

But not necessarily the way round you'd expect, though.

It's Labour pledging to be tough on net migration.

And the Conservatives promising more GP appointments.

Not their traditional turf.

Waiting lists have reached record highs under the Tories.

And for labour - will too tough a message on immigration turn off some voters? The SNP certainly thought so today.

Or is this an election where we're seeing traditional party lines, and potentially the political map, redrawn?

A lot might have happened this week – but look at the polls.

The Labour Party is still miles ahead, holding onto a 20 point lead.

The first TV debate is this week - could a breakout moment in a head-to-head debate shift the polls?

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