Exclusive: Russian ambassador was invited to box at Queen’s Club
The Russian ambassador to the UK was invited to sit in a box at Queen’s tennis club during last week’s 2026 HSBC Championship, Morning Wire can reveal.
Andrey Kelin, who has been Vladimir Putin’s chief diplomat based in the UK since 2019, was photographed at the private tennis club in West London during the precursor tournament to Wimbledon.
Kelin was part of a group of guests invited by Mikhail Ignatiev, a former concierge service and tourism operator founder that worked with Russian investors travelling to the UK. It is understood the group was seated in the President’s Room hospitality suite, which costs more than £500 per person with access to a plush bar, champagne reception and a three-course lunch.
A profile page for Ignatiev says his companies operate in the UK, Monaco, Dubai and Ukraine. He also founded a “premier Slavic wellness spa” on a man-made island in Dubai.
The Russian embassy, Ignatiev and Queen’s Club did not respond to requests for comment.
Kelin’s presence at Queen’s was first shared online by Bill Browder, formerly one of the largest foreign investors in Russia who now leads international campaigns against corruption under Putin.
Russian ambassador’s presence was ‘wholly wrong’
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, scores of Russian oligarchs and businessmen have been sanctioned by the UK, US and European Union.
Sanctioned millionaires and billionaires including former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, metals tycoon Oleg Deripaska and ex-Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov have left the UK.
After the Novichok poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury in 2018, the UK expelled more than 150 diplomats. Other diplomats have been expelled in the years since the war in Ukraine.
However, Kelin has remained in the UK. British diplomats are also present in Moscow. The ambassador has been the main spokesperson for Russia’s position on the war in several media interviews over the last few years.
Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said it was “wholly wrong” for Kelin to be “invited to hobnob at Queen’s while Ukraine continues to face unprovoked aggression from Russia”.
Patel urged Queen’s to take action to ensure he cannot return to the club.
“We must stand firm with Ukraine and send a clear message that Russia’s conduct will not be tolerated.”
The Foreign Office declined to comment.