Why "Free Mind" be attacked by the high diplomatic temperature of U.K &Russia?

Question

Be decision to shutdown British-Council Office in St.Pittsburgh blacking Putin government's culture minster's image? Earlier Russia decidednot to participate in one London's prestigious art exhibition .

Answer 1

The current diplomatic squabble is directly related to the KGB-linked murder of Litvinenko in London last year.  The Russian cloak of civility and cultural prestige is just that - look beneath and you still find a vicious bear with sharp teeth, long claws, and an even longer memory.