Headed by the Press Secretary of the British Embassy in Moscow, the Press & Public Affairs Section deals with journalists, mass media and the general public.

Head of Press & Public Affairs Section: James Barbour, Press Secretary
Deputy Head of Press & Public Affairs Section: Maria Kroupnik

Officers in our Section are responsible for handling daily press inquiries, projecting and elucidating the British government's position on current events and facilitating access to information.

We organise events such as receptions, seminars and round-tables, to make interaction with the U.K.'s life, culture, society, politics, and economy easy and direct for Russian journalists. We work together with various Sections within the Embassy and Consulates-General as well as with with British Council, VisitBritain, and U.K. Border Agency (UKBA), putting them in touch with Russian press and consumers of press. We improve their communications with journalists by organising briefings and press conferences.

Web site

In today's digital world, an organisation is increasingly recognised through its Web site. The Press & Public Affairs Section maintains the bilingual Web site of the British Embassy in Moscow: http://ukinrussia.fco.gov.uk.

Here, you can find news about current events, information about on-going projects at the Embassy, articles and speeches by the Ambassador and Ministers, public announcements, press releases, event photos and other useful information.

Events

Event management is a big part of our Section's job. Generally Embassy events take the form of receptions. In all our events, big and small, we strive to reflect traditional British hospitality, style and character, maintaining a positive image of the U.K. here in Moscow.

Public diplomacy

The Embassy maintains dialogue with government, business, and also with media and the general public through the Press & Public Affairs Section.

Our public diplomacy initiatives include seminars and debates for university and high school students, theatre workshops, and art or photography exhibitions. Our events cover a broad range of current events and issues.

Professors and students, academics and scientists, artists, people with disabilities, alumni of British universities and colleges, and representatives of international institutions and NGOs are frequently guests at Embassy events which we organise.

The British Alumni Club

Another part of our work is supporting the initiatives of the British Alumni Club in Russia, the organisation which unites Russian graduates of British higher education programmes. Working together with the British Council in Russia, we host monthly British Alumni Club events at the Embassy. Our events and round-tables provide opportunities to meet influential leaders in the Russian and British science, culture and society spheres. We also encourage diverse networking opportunities, parties and cultural events outside of the Embassy.

Our Partners

We are proud to work with the British Council, VisitBritain, BBC World Service, WWF, and other Russian, pan-European, and international organisations in diverse spheres including education, science, culture and arts, human rights, environmental science and climate change.

2008 Projects:

"Gender equality in Russia: why do we need it?"
School through theatre: lessons in tolerance
Climate change electronic library (joint project by the British Embassy in Moscow and WWF Russia)

2009 Projects:

CLIMATE ACT
"Warm, Warmer Still?" (photography exhibit travelling to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Ekaterinburg)
"Climate change study breaks" project