The Christian Science Monitor

Post-poisoning, Russian expats feel London heat

In leafy west London, Olga Ivanova is spending her lunch break in a park near the recruitment agency where she works, but her mind is elsewhere.

She says it's hard not to dwell on the spy poisoning case that has dominated the headlines in her adopted country for the past three weeks and sparked worldwide diplomatic fallout; she can’t help but wonder what it all might mean for Russians like her who live in Britain.

Blaming Russia for poisoning Sergei Skripal and his daughter with a banned nerve agent, the British government has hinted it might retaliate by targeting the assets of wealthy Russians in Britain.

Ms. Ivanova is one of an estimated 150,000 Russians resident in London, sometimes known

A shifting mood?Ignore the news

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Christian Science Monitor

The Christian Science Monitor5 min read
An Archipelago Was Losing Its Ancient Sport. African Migrants May Save It.
Mamadou Camara and his opponent step out into the sandy arena. The two men – towering, hulking figures – bend at the waist and lock into position, grabbing the edges of each other’s rolled-up white shorts, head on each other’s shoulder. The referee b
The Christian Science Monitor4 min read
Meet The Franco-Malian Pop Star Sparking Debate Over Who Should Sing At The Olympics
One of the most important roles at the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympic Games this summer is likely to be performing the songs of Édith Piaf. So when President Emmanuel Macron was asked who might be tapped for such a duty, it was perhaps natural
The Christian Science Monitor4 min readInternational Relations
As Genocide Threatens Again, The World Wakes Up To Sudan’s Civil War
The American diplomat could not have been clearer: This war must end, he said. “We need to be seeing massive convoys of aid” for its desperately vulnerable civilians. He was not talking about Gaza. Veteran U.S. diplomat Tom Perriello was addressing a

Related Books & Audiobooks