Russia's new ambassador to Britain, Alexander Yakovenko, is arriving in London on Saturday.
Yakovenko, 56, who had been serving as a deputy foreign minister, was appointed ambassador earlier this week.
A career diplomat, he replaces Yury Fedotov, who stepped down to become head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Yakovenko was appointed deputy foreign minister for cooperation with international organizations in August 2005.
His position has now been filled by Gennady Gatilov, former head of the ministry's international organizations department.
Russian-British relations have been strained over a host of issues, including the controversial death of former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006 and Russia's pressure on the British Council in 2007-2008.
The issues also include Britain's criticism of Moscow after the Russian-Georgian military conflict in August 2008 and tit-for-tat diplomat expulsions. Russia has also accused Britain of acting as a refuge for fugitive Russian businessmen, including Boris Berezovsky.
The countries currently cooperate on key international issues, but there has been no noticeable progress in the resolution of bilateral disputes.
LONDON, January 29 (RIA Novosti)
