Rus Eng May 2026

Chancellor met Tsar Ivan IV ("the Terrible"), who was eager to bypass the Hanseatic League and Polish-Lithuanian rivals for trade. In 1555, England’s Muscovy Company was granted a monopoly on Anglo-Russian trade. Ivan granted the English their own courtyards in Kholmogory and Vologda, and later in Moscow itself. For decades, England supplied rope, saltpeter (for gunpowder), and luxury goods in exchange for Russian furs, wax, and tallow.

The annexation of Crimea (2014), the Skripal poisonings in Salisbury (2018), and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine (2022) pushed Rus-Eng relations to a post-Cold War low. By 2023, the UK had sanctioned over 1,600 Russian individuals and entities, frozen Russian state assets, and supplied Ukraine with advanced weaponry—making Britain one of Ukraine’s most vocal military supporters. Conclusion: An Enduring, Fractious Dialogue From Richard Chancellor’s chance landing in 1553 to the expulsion of diplomats in the 2020s, the relationship between Russia (the heir to Rus') and England has been defined by mutual necessity and deep suspicion . They have been trading partners, wartime allies, imperial rivals, nuclear adversaries, and now economic enemies. No single label fits. rus eng

Britain (and later the US) supplied the USSR via perilous Arctic convoys to Murmansk and Archangel. British sailors lost over 3,000 lives on this route. The Soviets received thousands of tanks, aircraft, and millions of boots and tons of aluminum—material that helped them survive 1941–42 and win at Stalingrad. Chancellor met Tsar Ivan IV ("the Terrible"), who

Interestingly, Ivan proposed marriage to Queen Elizabeth I’s relative, Lady Mary Hastings, and even offered himself as a political exile in England if his throne were usurped. Elizabeth politely declined. The relationship intensified under Peter the Great. During his Grand Embassy to Western Europe (1697–98), Peter spent three months in England—mostly in Deptford, where he famously trashed the house of writer John Evelyn while studying shipbuilding and astronomy. He met King William III and recruited hundreds of English sailors, engineers, and doctors for his new Russian navy. mostly from disease.

Throughout the later 19th century, Britain and Russia competed for influence in Afghanistan, Persia, and Tibet. This Cold War-like espionage struggle was dubbed the "Great Game" by Rudyard Kipling. It never erupted into direct war, but it poisoned diplomacy.

For the first time, Britain and Russia fought a major war against each other. The cause: Russian expansion into Ottoman territory. Britain, fearing Russian control of the Dardanelles and the route to India, joined France in attacking Russia. The war’s iconic disasters—the Charge of the Light Brigade, the Siege of Sevastopol—created deep mutual distrust. Over 600,000 died, mostly from disease.