Nigel Casey has been appointed the new ambassador to Russia, the UK Foreign Office said on Wednesday, amid rising tension between Moscow and London over the invasion of Ukraine.
Deborah Bronnert has held the post since 2020 and Mr Casey will take up the role in November.
Mr Casey, 54, is a career diplomat who joined the Foreign Office in 1991 and most recently served as the Prime Minister's special representative for Afghanistan.
He has also served as Britain's high commissioner in South Africa and as ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Between 2003 and 2006, Mr Casey was posted in Moscow.
Moscow last month announced travel restrictions for British diplomats working in Russia, in the latest sign of souring ties.
The diplomats, with few exceptions, will need to notify authorities in advance about their movements around the country, outlining their planned itineraries in detail.
Russian oligarchs sanctioned by the UK – in pictures
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The UK has sanctioned more than 1,400 individuals and businesses, including 100 oligarchs and their relatives, since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. The list of oligarchs includes: Roman Abramovich, 55. PA -
Katerina Tikhonova, left, and Maria Vorontsova, unseen, also known as Maria Putina, daughters of Russia President Vladimir Putin. Reuters -
Oleg Deripaska, 54. The industrialist is worth £2 billion and has had close links with the British political establishment. He has a multimillion pound property portfolio in the UK. Reuters -
Igor Sechin, 61. Officials described Mr Sechin as Mr Putin's right-hand man and the second most important person in the country. Reuters -
Andrey Kostin, 65. The chairman of VTB, a Russian state-owned bank. Mr Kostin is also a member of the supreme council of the United Russia political party and deemed a close associate of Mr Putin. AP Photo -
Alexei Miller, 60. The chief executive of energy company Gazprom, Russia's largest company and the world's biggest public energy supplier. AFP -
Nikolai Tokarev, 71, president of the Russia state-owned pipeline company Transneft. Mr Tokarev is a former KGB officer who served with Mr Putin in East Germany towards the end of the Cold War. AP Photo -
Kirill Shamalov, 39. He is Russia's youngest billionaire and the ex-husband of Mr Putin's daughter Katerina Tikhonova. Reuters -
Pyotr Fradkov, 43. He is head of the sanctioned Promsvyazbank, which finances Russian defence industries, and the son of Mikhail Fradkov, a former prime minister of Russia and chief of its foreign intelligence service. Reuters -
Denis Bortnikov, 47. The deputy president of government-affiliated VTB bank. His father, Alexander Bortnikov, is head of the Federal Security Service. Getty Images -
Yury Slyusar, 47. The director of United Aircraft Corporation, one of the major defence organisations that has also been sanctioned. Getty Images
Moscow said the measures were in response to the “hostile actions” of London, such as “hindering the normal operation of Russian foreign missions in the UK”.
Britain has been a key ally of Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded the pro-western country in February last year.
London has supplied Kyiv with long-range weapons and battle tanks, and slapped sanctions on Russian people and entities.
