Russia on Thursday condemned Britain’s “blasphemous” and “immoral” attitude towards it after London decided not to invite a Russian representative to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries, writes AFP.

“We consider this attempt by Great Britain to use a national tragedy, which touched the hearts of millions of people around the world, for geopolitical purposes to settle scores with our country (…) deeply immoral,” said the spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova. in the application.

“This is particularly blasphemous to the memory of Elizabeth II,” she added.

A spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy complained that Great Britain is using Russia’s offensive in Ukraine as an “excuse” not to invite the Russian leader to the funeral of Elizabeth II on Monday, September 19, in London.

Symbolizing its pariah status in the West, Russia, along with its ally Belarus, as well as Burma and North Korea, were not invited to the funeral of the queen, who died last Thursday at the age of 96.

“The British elite is now on the side of the Nazis,” Zakharova said, referring to London’s strong military and financial support for Kyiv against Russian military intervention.

Elizabeth II’s funeral at Westminster Abbey next week is a major diplomatic event, with more than 100 members of the royal family, heads of state and other dignitaries expected to attend.

Russia’s absence is a testament to the strained diplomatic relations between Moscow and London in recent years, from the Skripal case in 2018 to the conflict in Ukraine.

The funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey, which can hold around 2,000 people, on September 19 at 11am local time.

A Whitehall source said it was the biggest international event in decades, equivalent to organizing hundreds of state visits in just a few days. So it’s a huge logistical, diplomatic and security challenge, and rehearsals are held at night.

Invitations to the Queen’s funeral were sent at the end of last week to the heads of state with which Great Britain maintains diplomatic relations. In most countries, the invitation concerns the head of state and one of his guests. However, the leaders of Russia, Belarus and Myanmar were not invited.

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