_{Tourist break to Moscow off the cards}

Russia has banned Fieldfisher's Managing Partner and two other lawyers from the country, apparently over what it considers to be their "involvement" in sanctions advice. 

The precise reasons are hazy, and the firm told RollOnFriday the decision was "unexpected" and "unclear".

A diplomatic statement issued by the Russian ministry accused the British government of continuing an "aggressive anti-Russia course" by "actively applying the mechanism of sanctions and conducting a subversive propaganda and information campaign".

The three Fieldfisher lawyers subject to the ban are Managing Partner Robert Shooter, along with international trade lawyers Andrew Hood and Richard Tauwhare, who advise on areas including sanctions and export control. Tauware is a former UK diplomat, which means he's probably been dodging FSB umbrella tips for decades.

Fieldfisher could not shed any light on exactly what the trio had done to anger Mother Russia. A Fieldfisher spokesperson told RollOnFriday: "We are aware that the list of individuals sanctioned by the Russian state includes lawyers from our firm. While the basis for this decision is both unexpected and unclear to us, we have no further comment to make at this time".

The Russian ministry's statement subtly pointed out what it called the "futility of the sanctions policy of the collective West" stating that it was an attempt by the "British authorities" to "stubbornly and unsuccessfully" try to "strangle the Russian economy" while "inflicting painful blows on third countries’ prosperity".

The ministry listed 22 Britons that will be banned, in further measured comments which criticised what it called "illegitimate unilateral sanctions imposed by the West".  It added that the government would "continue to expand the Russian stop list in response to London's hostile actions," so other lawyers may also have to abandon their Moscow editions of Lonely Planet in due course.

When the war on Ukraine broke out, many UK law firm's left Moscow en masse, while other firms suspended their work for Russian clients. The UK government also introduced a package of sanctions against Russia in 2022, including a "services and goods export ban" which included the prohibition of legal advice, as well as other services such as IT and engineering.  

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