think by the end of the last century they were back to where they had been in the Cold War, in terms of numbers.″ Directing non-domestic policy within overseas intelligence is a key but not a sole purpose of such information, its capability based on the information it can act on needs to be understood on its own. Separating its own capability from that gained from intelligence outsourcing and thus serves its purpose as explained. In January 2012, Jonathan Powell, prime minister Tony Blair's chief of staff in 2006, admitted Britain was behind a plot to spy on Russia with a device hidden in a fake rock that was discovered in 2006 in a case that was publicised by Russian authorities; he said: ″Clearly they had known about it for some time and had been saving it up for a political purpose.″Британия признала, что использовала "шпионский камень" BBC, 19 January 2012. Back in 2006, the Russian security service, the FSB, linked the rock case to British intelligence agents making covert payments to NGOs in Russia; shortly afterwards, president Vladimir Putin introduced a law that tightened regulation of funding non-governmental organisations in Russia.Russian spies 'at Cold War level' BBC, 15 March 2007. Embassies The Embassy of Russia is located in London, United Kingdom. The Embassy of the United Kingdom is located in Moscow, Russia. Outside Moscow, there is one British Consulate-General in Ekaterinburg. There was a British Consulate General in St. Petersburg but it was closed in 2018 due to a diplomatic fallout. See also Foreign relations of the Soviet Union Foreign policy of the Russian Empire to 1917 Foreign policy of Vladimir Putin History of Russia International relations, 1648–1814 International relations (1814–1919) Diplomatic history of World War I International relations (1919–1939) Diplomatic history of World War II Cold War Embassy of Russia, London List of ambassadors of Russia to the United Kingdom List of Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Russia Timeline of British diplomatic history Anti-Russian sentiment Anti-British sentiment Cold War II Russian interference in British politics Minorities Russians in the United Kingdom Britons in Russia (Anglo-Russians, Scottish Russians and Irish Russians) References Further reading Anderson, M. S. Britain's Discovery of Russia 1553–1815 (1958). online Chamberlain, Muriel E. Pax Britannica?: British Foreign Policy 1789–1914 (1989) Clarke, Bob. Four Minute Warning: Britain's Cold War (2005) Crawley, C. W. "Anglo-Russian Relations 1815-40" Cambridge Historical Journal (1929) 3#1 pp. 47–73 online Cross,