REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: |
REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: |
Report of the Trustees and |
Financial Statements for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
for |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: |
REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: |
Report of the Trustees and |
Financial Statements for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
for |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
Contents of the Financial Statements |
for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
Page |
Chairman's Report | 1 | to | 7 |
Report of the Trustees | 8 | to | 9 |
Independent Examiner's Report | 10 |
Statement of Financial Activities | 11 |
Balance Sheet | 12 |
Notes to the Financial Statements | 13 | to | 16 |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
Chairman's Report |
for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
My last Report covered the period from January to December 2023. |
We have organised a total of 15 talks over the past year (January-December 2024), most of which were of excellent quality. Thanks to King's College, London University, members were also able to attend a very enjoyable concert in June 2024. |
We aim to strike a balance between in-person and online talks. So eight of the talks were in-person talks, seven of which took place on a 'hybrid' basis, with attendance being possible online as well as in person. The seven other talks were held purely on Zoom. The Zoom video-conferencing facility has again enabled us to attract a wider range of speakers, including from overseas. Our seven Zoom talks were all given by overseas speakers: two from Moscow, two from Yerevan, one from Berlin, one from Jerusalem and one from Washington DC. |
Six of the eight in-person talks were hosted on the Society's behalf by King's College, University of London (KCL) at their well-appointed, centrally-located premises on the Strand Campus. We are very grateful to KCL for our continuing fruitful partnership with them and for hosting these talks on our behalf, which it does free of charge, and for the interaction that this brings between our members and the KCL staff and students. |
Online attendance is also available in relation to the KCL-hosted events via Microsoft Teams, a video-conferencing platform similar to Zoom. As with Zoom, those attending the Microsoft Teams meeting are able to take part in the Q & A discussion, either by putting questions orally or by the Chat mechanism. |
Two of the talks took place at Pushkin House, one of them - the Daniel Salbstein Memorial Lecture in September - being held as a joint GBRS- Pushkin House event. |
In January 2024 Jeff Hawn, a doctoral candidate in International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science, spoke to us at KCL about Russia's Constitutional Crisis of 1993. In his talk Jeff Hawn helpfully explained the background to the complex political and constitutional events of 1993, including the remarkably rapid disintegration of the Soviet Union after the abortive coup of August 1991. |
His central thesis was that, rather than simply signifying the end of the last vestiges of the USSR, the constitutionalcrisis of 1993 - which culminated in the Army using tank fire to force the Congress of People's Deputies to disperse - represented the extinction of a burgeoning Russian democracy, which at this point was still in its cradle. He suggested that the crisis was in fact a critical turning-point in the faltering evolution of Russian democracy, paving the way for a new post-Soviet Russia that would become increasingly authoritarian and autocratic. Jeff Hawn's talk was an eloquent and salutary reminder to us all of the vital importance of maintaining respect for the rule of law. |
In early February 2024 Temur Umarov delivered an excellent and informative talk by Zoomfrom Berlin titled Is Russia Creating A New World Order? In his lecture Temur Umarov examined the effectiveness of Russia'sstrategy in seeking to carve out a significant global role for itself, including not only its 'pivot' towards China but also its efforts to engage with a broader region and the non-aligned Global South. He described how Russia's approach to the present world order had developed through its different stages (as the character of the regime has changed). Temur Umarov provided a useful insight not only into the very different strategies in this connection which Russia and China are respectively pursuing, but also into the way in which those two countries are operating vis-à-vis the outside world more generally. It was also interesting to hear about the important - and delicately balanced - relations between Russia and the five Central Asian republics. |
Temur Umarov's conclusion was that it is not yet clear that we are witnessing the emergence of a new world order. |
In late February 2024 Dr Mikael Zolyan, a political analyst and historian based in Yerevan, gave a talk by Zoom titled The End of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia's New Foreign Policy. With the aid of maps, Dr Zolyan fully explained the historical and geographical background to the third war over Nagorno-Karabakh, the long-disputed Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan. The war ended almost as soon as it began on 19 September 2023, and resulted in the enforced mass exodus of the whole Armenian population from the enclave over the following days. For both the Armenian elite and the broader population, the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh-which they see as nothing short of ethnic cleansing-had destroyed the idea of Russia as a security guarantor and is likely to lead in the future to a lesser reliance by Armenia on Russia as its key ally. There was a wide-ranging Q & A discussion, and Dr. Zolyan provided an interesting insight into the complexities and sensitivities of the South Caucasus region overall. However, it would have been helpful to have a more specific indication of the likely future direction of Armenia's foreign policy. |
In mid-March 2024 Professor Natalia Zubarevich gave a fascinating talk in Russian by Zoom from Moscow on the current state of the Russian economy and how this had been affected by the war with Ukraine. The talk was titled Russian regions in a new economic reality: an update// Regiony Rossii v novoy ekonomicheskoy real'nosti: obnovlenie. Natalia Zubarevich is a well-known and highly respected Russian economic geographer specialising in the socio-economic development of the Russian regions and social and political geography, and is a Professor in the Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia at Moscow State University. |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
Chairman's Report |
for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
In her lecture, Professor Zubarevich provided an in-depth analysis of how the Russian economy was coping with wartime constraints. Her presentation was well-structured and a model of clarity, and was illustrated with clear and informative slides in English. Professor Zubarevich covered such specific issues as the effect of Western sanctions, the re-orientation of exports to different countries, the increasing significance of arms production and the significant manpower deficit that has resulted from the combined effect of conscription and emigration. |
During the very stimulating Q & A session Elena Cook, a professional interpreter, provided simultaneous interpretation via the Zoom Interpretation feature, so that attendees were able to ask their questions in either language and could choose to listen in Russian and/or English as they wished by opting for the preferred audio channel. This facility worked very effectively. This is the first Zoom talk the Society has held in Russian and was judged to be a success. Professor Zubarevich herself was grateful for the opportunity to discuss the present state of the Russian economy with British colleagues and agreed on the importance of maintaining such contacts at the present time. |
Dr Alexandra Persheeva is an art historian and the academic supervisor of the bachelor of arts degree |
programme "Contemporary Art" in the Art and Design School at the Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow. In late April 2024 Dr Pershseeva gave us an informative and wide-ranging talk on the history of Soviet art titled Soviet Art: An Overview. With the aid of some compelling slides and with an enviable lightness of touch, Dr |
Persheeva gave us a superb and beautifully clear overview of this massive subject and an insight into how art |
changed and developed over the Soviet period and the different movements, styles, techniques and influences that were in play. It was clear from Dr Persheeva's presentation, which stimulated considerable interest, that Soviet Art is a vast - and far from monolithic - canvas, and in the time available she did a tremendous job in highlighting some of its major artists and their achievements, as well as its rich variety. |
In early May 2024 Roma Liberov, a highly acclaimed Russian film director, screenwriter and producer, treated us to a screening at KCL of his extraordinarily powerful and moving film about the life and work of the great Russian poet, Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938), "Sokhrani moyu rech' navsegda" //"Keep My Words Forever". This was a purely in-person event, with no online attendance. Roma Liberov had provided English subtitles for the film, which has a running time of 80 minutes. The film, in which the use of puppets to represent the characters is remarkably effective, covers many of the key stages and episodes in Osip Mandelstam's life and work and provides a fitting and worthy tribute to the great poet, whose life ended so tragically in 1938. |
Roma Liberov introduced the film and, in the course of this and the lively Q & A discussion afterwards, gave the enthralled audience "invaluable insight into both the technicalities of the film's creation and the spirit that motivated him to make it" - as Jennifer Antill neatly puts it in her excellent review of the film in the Autumn 2024 edition of East-West Review (Issue 66). All in all, the evening was an enriching experience for all of us who were privileged to attend. |
In late May 2024 Natasha Dissanayake, a long-standing member of the Society, gave a talk at KCL with the title Russian Lives in London Through the Centuries. Natasha Dissanayake's talk was based on her wonderful |
book, Russkie sud'by v Londone// Russian Destinies in London, which was the result of some 20 yearsof meticulous research (and which was published in Russian in 2017). In her talk, which she illustrated with some superb slides, Natasha told us about the different ways in which Russian émigrés in London over the last fivecenturies had enriched British life and culture. By judicious selection of her material and providing some strikingexamples - Count Vorontsov, Alexander Herzen, Alexander Obolensky and Anna Pavlova (to name but four)Natasha Dissanayake provided a colourful picture of the positively beneficial interaction there has been between Russian and British culture. |
In early June 2024 Professor Catriona Kelly, a leading cultural historian of Russia and the Soviet Union, gave a talk at KCL with the title Russian Food Since 1800: Empire at Table. This is also the title of Catriona Kelly's latest book, which was published by Bloomsbury Academic in February 2024. In her absorbing (illustrated) talk Catriona Kelly explored some of the themes covered in her informative book and told us about the hugely important role which food has had in Russia in both political and social terms. She also described the various shifts in diet and cuisine over the last three centuries, including the ways in which old traditions such as pickling and jam-making sit alongside dishes like Uzbek plov, Ukrainian borscht and Georgian shashlik. |
In mid-June 2024 the King's Language Centre at KCL kindly invited members of the Society to attend a concert by the Slavic Voices Choir in the beautiful King's College Chapel on the Strand Campus. Slavic Voices is a new choir in London and Brighton & Hove, which brings together singers of many different backgrounds and presents music of all styles from the Slavic world. The Choir is led by Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd, who is the granddaughter of a Cossack and an outstanding conductor. The polyphony ["mnogogolosie "] of both the male and female voices was of an exceptionally high quality and the audience was able to appreciate many examples from what has rightly been described as the Choir's "culturally unique and musically diverse repertoire". We are extremely grateful to King's College, London for having invited us to such a hugely enjoyable concert. |
In late June 2024 Barbara Emerson gave a talk at KCL on the subject of her new book, The First Cold War: Anglo-Russian Relations in the 19th Century. Barbara Emerson is a long-standing member of the Society and has been Vice-Chairman since 2019. She has written three biographies and numerous articles. |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
Chairman's Report |
for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
The First Cold War, which was published by Hurst in May 2024, provides a comprehensive history of Russo-British relations from the time of Peter the Great to the pre-World War I Triple Entente of Britain, France and Russia. This is an important book which contains fresh insights into the Russo-British relationship in the 19th century and its publication in May was very timely. The book has been widely praised. In the review he wrote, Mark Galeotti described it as "an excellent book". And it was chosen as one of the Spectator's books of the year by Jonathan Sumption, who noted that The First Cold War is "based on serious documentary research". Lord Sumption also wrote that it is "an outstanding account of Britain's relations with Russia at a time when ambassadors mattered and Britain was the only world power. No-one has explained the Great Game in Central Asia or the intricacies of European dynastic politics so well." |
We were most grateful to Barbara Emerson for agreeing to talk to the Society about it. In her talk Barbara focused on the three themes of trade, governance and empire, which she did with great clarity and just the right amount of detail. Her talk clearly struck a chord with the audience, and the result was one of the liveliest and most enjoyable Q& A discussions we have had. |
In late July 2024 Benjamin Goodman, a concert pianist and musicologist, gave a talk to us by Zoom from Jerusalem on Shostakovich's 13th Symphony and Yevtushenko's poem, Babi Yar. Benjamin Goodman initially told us about the genesis of Yevgeny Yevtushenko's poem, Babi Yar, and Dmitri Shostakovich's magnificent choral Symphony No. 13 in B flat minor, Op. 113 (1962), which was inspired by it and which also features four other poems by Yevtushenko. Benjamin Goodman touched on the censorship problems both poet and composer experienced with the Soviet authorities as a result. After providing this historical context, Benjamin Goodman went on to demonstrate the interaction between Yevtushenko's poetry and Shostakovich's music. He did this with immense skill, displaying extracts from the text of Yevtushenko's poems on-screen and then playing recordings of the related musical excerpts, in order to illustrate the brilliance of Shostakovich's "word-painting" technique. |
This was a most illuminating and lucid presentation on a sensitive and complex subject, which enhanced our appreciation not only of Yevtushenko's poetry but also of Shostakovich's Symphony. With Benjamin Goodman's impeccable selection and organisation of material and his engaging style, this was quite simply a model of how a Zoom lecture should be delivered. |
We held this year's Daniel Salbstein Memorial Lecture on 19 September. We were delighted that Dame Deborah Bronnert DCMG had agreed to deliver this fourth in the series of Memorial Lectures dedicated to the memory of our founder and former Chairman and Talks Organiser, Daniel Salbstein OBE (1937-2020), in recognition of his unique role in the creation and development of the Society. We were also deeply honoured that the Society's Patron, HRH Prince Michael of Kent, was able to attend. Dame Deborah Bronnert, DCMG first served at our Embassy in Moscow from 2002-2005, and was the UK's Ambassador to the Russian Federation from January 2020 to November 2023. She is currently the Director General for Europe and Migration at the Foreign Office. |
The title of Dame Deborah's talk was The UK and Russia -The Long-Term View, and at the outset she emphasised the importance of putting the present difficult situation in historical perspective, and reminded us that relations between London and Moscow go back centuries, that there have been many times of cooperation as well as tension and that in Russia things can change - for good or ill - both rapidly and unexpectedly. Dame Deborah shared with us the insights into the UK-Russia relationship she gained during her time as HM Ambassador in Moscow between 2020 and 2023 and told us how this relationship inevitably changed in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, which put an already difficult relationship under severe strain. |
Dame Deborah also discussed the current situation in Russia and highlighted the importance - particularly in present circumstances - of seeking to maintain channels for communication and planning for the future. She also said that it was important always to "distinguish between the Russian state and the Russian people". In concluding, Dame Deborah paid tribute to the courage of Ukrainians and of the many Russians who are doing what they can, inside or outside the country, to resist. She noted that, while we need to be ready for a long war, we should also be "alive to the possibility of sudden change". In the meantime, while "we should not stop supporting Ukraine, we should also not give up on Russia or Russians - which means, especially in the bleakest of times, maintaining a relationship". Dame Deborah Bronnert's thoughtful, enlightening and uplifting talk provided a fitting and worthy commemoration of the Society's founder. |
In mid-October 2024 Professor Donald Rayfield OBE, Emeritus Professor of Russian and Georgian at Queen Mary University of London, gave a talk at KCL on the subject of his book, 'A Seditious and Sinister Tribe': The Crimean Tatars and Their Khanate, which had been published by Hurst in July. In his book, Professor Rayfield describes the settlement of Crimea in ancient times; the creation of the Crimean Khanate under the Giray dynasty of Khans in the mid-15th century, which not only survived for some 350 years but was in fact a flourishing state with a vibrant literary culture, religious tolerance, a sophisticated constitution and a prosperous economy; and the tragic history of the Crimean Tatars under Russian and Soviet rule, ending with the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014. In his talk Professor Rayfield highlighted some of the principal themes addressed in his book and concluded by noting that the percentage of indigenous Tatars was likely to fall yet further from its estimated 10%, so that we were now witnessing the imminent demise of the Crimean Tatar nation (the "last stage of an ethnic genocide"). But although the talk ended on this bleak and tragic note, the audience deeply appreciated Professor Rayfield's richly informative and enlightening talk, which was full of interesting insights and delivered in a most engaging way. |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
Chairman's Report |
for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
In late October 2024 Professor Lilit Meliksetyan, Head of The Department of Russian and World Literature and Culture at the Russian-Armenian University in Yerevan, gave a talk in Russian by Zoom on Armenian Painting in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries and the Links between Armenian and Russian Painters // Zhivopis' Armenii 19-go - nachala 20-go veka i svyazi mezhdu armyanskimi i rossiyskimi khudozhnikami. In this talk, which was illustrated with slides (in English), Professor Meliksetyan provided an overview of Armenian painting in the 19th and early 20th centuries and of the links between Armenian and Russian artists. She devoted the first part of her talk to ancient Armenian art. It was interesting to learn that cultural and artistic links between Armenia and Russia are still continuing and Professor Meliksetyan's talk was packed with information. |
This is the second Zoom talk the Society has held in Russian, and during the Q & A session Elena Cook, a professional interpreter, again provided simultaneous interpretation via the Zoom Interpretation feature. The feedback from attendees was that (other than for native Russian speakers) the lecture on this occasion was |
linguistically demanding and difficult to follow, members' comprehension being only minimally assisted by the slides. |
We are keen to have further talks in Russian and will bear in mind the need in future for the narrative text on any |
accompanying slides in English to be fully synchronised with the talk as delivered (as was done in the case of Professor Zubarevich's talk in March). |
On 12th November 2024 Keir Giles gave a talk on the subject of his new book Who Will Defend Europe?: An Awakened Russia and a Sleeping Continent, which had just been published by Hurst on 24th October. Keir Giles is an authoritative and highly-respected author, analyst and commentator on Russia-related defence and security issues. He is a Senior Consulting Fellow at the UK's Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) and also works with the Conflict Studies Research Centre (CSRC). With the US Presidential Election taking place on 5th November, Keir Giles's book and talk could not have been more timely. In his informative and well-researched talk, he set out his considered assessment not only of the security and military threat posed by Russia but also of Europe's relative unpreparedness (with the notable exception of Finland, Poland and the three Baltic states) to counter that threat. He presented his arguments and supporting evidence - including what are now widely publicised concerns about the UK's alarmingly diminished defence capability - with clarity and precision. The picture he provided was a stark and disturbing one, which fully engaged the audience's attention and led to an illuminating and wide-ranging Q & A discussion. |
In late November 2023 Professor Eric Lohr, Chair of the History Department at American University, Washington DC, gave a talk by Zoom titled Russia's Great War and Revolution. This was a first-class talk, illustrated with some excellent slides. It was well-structured, clear, comprehensive and concise. Professor Eric Lohr first provided a general overview of Imperial Russia's mobilisation for World War I and its subsequent conduct of the war. He corrected the misconceived perception of Russia as being at that time a backward country. By 1914 Russia had in fact developed into a relatively advanced country, from both the industrial and military point of view. |
Professor Lohr went on to describe the build-up to the two Revolutions of 1917 and to demonstrate that it was the scale, speed and chaotic nature of the "structural" demobilisation, in 1917, coupled with the significant decline in "affective" mobilisation, that facilitated the Bolsheviks' consolidation of power in the immediate aftermath of the October 1917 Revolution and enabled them to build a State from scratch. (The "structural" demobilisation here refers to the dismantling of state structures, including the army, police and government; and the decline in "affective" mobilisation refers to the waning of popular enthusiasm and support for the war and the regime.) Professor Lohr provided other fascinating insights into the First World War and Russia's two Revolutions, and his talk stimulated an interesting and enjoyable Q & A discussion. |
It is worth adding that members' appreciation of Professor Lohr's talk was enhanced as a result of having been able to read beforehand an excellent article co-authored by Professor Lohr and Joseph Sandborn in 2017 - 1917: Revolution as Demobilization and State Collapse (published in Slavic Review, 2017). Thanks to Professor Lohr we were able to circulate this to attendees before the lecture. Given the benefits, we will bear in mind the possibility of setting similar (optional) "homework" for our future talks! |
Second Discussion Group: Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938) - Saturday, 1st June 2024 |
As members will recall, our first Discussion Group in December 2023 focused on Russian poetry. Although we are not proposing that all our discussion groups will be about poetry, we thought that it would be worth devoting our second discussion group to the life and work of Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938), one of the greatest Russian poets of the 20th century. This followed the positive feedback we had to the screening in early May 2024 of Roma Liberov's brilliant film about Osip Mandelstam, "Sokhrani moyu rech' navsegda" // "Keep My Words Forever". As before, on Saturday, 1st June several of us met in the Windsor Castle pub (23 Francis Street, SW1), where we read a selection of Mandelstam's poems and had an informative and stimulating discussion about his life and poetry. We benefited from having two excellent Russian readers, Natasha Dissanayake and Alla Potapova. We were also grateful to Steve Holland for leading a very interesting discussion of his translations of two quite complex poems from Mandelstam's Voronezh Notebooks - Na menya napelilas' grusha i cheremukha // The pear tree and the bird cherry and Vooruzhyonnyy zren'yem uzkikh os // Armed with the vision of narrow wasps. |
Annual Members Meeting and Social Event |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
Chairman's Report |
for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
The Annual Members Meeting (AMM) this year was again held as a hybrid event in-person at Swedenborg Hall and via Zoom on Thursday, 21st March 2024. A total of 26 members attended, 24 in-person and two via Zoom. The AMM was followed by a social event with wine and Russian food, which was beautifully organised by our Vice-Chairman, Barbara Emerson, and much enjoyed by all. |
In the course of the AMM I reviewed the highlights of the previous year (2023). I mentioned that the Zoom facility had again enabled us to invite a wide range of speakers, including six overseas speakers - three from the USA, and one each from Russia, Qatar and Italy. I was able to announce that Dame Deborah Bronnert DCMG, HM Ambassador to Moscow 2020-2023, had kindly agreed to deliver the fourth Daniel Salbstein Memorial Lecture in late September 2024, and that the Society's Patron, HRH Prince Michael of Kent, had expressed his wish to attend. |
On 19 December 2023 we had informed members that with effect from 1st January 2024 the charge for attending GBRS talks, whether online or in-person, would increase from £5 to £6 for members and from £5 to £7 for non-members, and that the charge for accessing post-talk recordings would also be at this level (although, as at present, those who had already paid for the talk would have free access to the recordings). At the AMM on 21st March 2024 Robert Whiteford, the Society's Hon. Treasurer, explained the decision that had been taken by the Committee to increase membership subscription rates. These had not changed (even in line with inflation) since the Society had been established in 2003 and the increase was necessary in order to address the Society's increased costs, which were continuing to increase across-the-board. The new membership subscription rates, which duly came into effect on 1st July 2024, are as follows: £30 for individual membership, £35 for joint, academic and corporate membership and £20 for digital membership. Honorary membership remains free. |
At the AMM on 21st March 2024 I also reported on three other matters: |
(a) I expressed our appreciation to King's College, London University (KCL), for its free hosting of the Society's talks and for the interaction between members and KCL staff and students that this brought. I thanked Alla Potapova for having introduced the Society to KCL and for having facilitated the excellent relationship that had now been established between us. |
(b) I expressed our gratitude to Alla Potapova and Stephen Hall, who had been appointed as the Talks Organisers in April 2023, for their assistance with the compilation of the Summer and Autumn 2023 talks programmes. I noted that on 19 January 2024 Stephen Hall had resigned as a Talks Organiser with immediate effect, explaining that he felt "compelled" to do so owing to the unexpected increase in his workload at Bath University and the new work he was undertaking, having now become an Associate Fellow at The Henry Jackson Society. |
(c) I reported on our positive experience with the recording of talks, and the meeting as a whole concurred that in future the Q & A session following a talk should, subject to speaker agreement, be included in the recording along with the introduction and the talk itself. |
Relations with the Danish-Russian Association and Finland-Russia Society |
At the end of April 2024 I attended the Danish-Russian Association's Centenary Conference in Copenhagen at the Association's invitation as a guest speaker. The Conference was also attended by representatives of the Finland-Russia Society (founded in 1944) and the Civil Society Forum (a network of non-governmental organisations with the laudable aim of building bridges between civil societies across "wider Europe"). The Conference was a good opportunity to share thoughts and experiences with two sister societies. |
I spoke at the Conference about the Society's "History, activities and relations with Russia through the years and today", going back to the foundation of the Great Britain-USSR Association in 1959. Representatives of the Danish and Finnish societies gave similar presentations. The circumstances in which the Danish, Finnish and British Societies were formed were very different. But what emerged at the Conference was a remarkable similarity of approach post-February 2022 by the three Societies in response to the challenges posed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and current conditions in Russia. All three Societies have condemned Russia's war against Ukraine. We are not currently pursuing any official contacts with or within the Russian Federation, but at the same time we are continuing in our respective programmes and publications to cover topics relating to Russia and Russian culture and to maintain non-official contact with Russians both outside Russia and (where this is possible) inside Russia. |
All those attending agreed that the Copenhagen Conference had been a valuable and worthwhile event. We exchanged contact details and agreed to stay in contact with each other. |
As part of its commemoration of its 80th Anniversary, in early November 2024 the Finland-Russia Society organised an online seminar on Similarities and Differences between Russia/USSR-related Friendship Societies in Europe, which was attended by members of the Finnish and Danish Societies as well as by members of our own Society. The seminar (conducted in English) was skilfully chaired by the Finnish Society's Director, Riku Savonen, and various presentations were delivered, including one by me on the history and current situation of the GBRS. A Q & A/general discussion then ensued in which everyone was invited to participate. |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
Chairman's Report |
for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
Those attending found the seminar to be of considerable interest. Riku Savonen, Anne Hedeager Krag (Chairman of the Danish-Russian Association) and I have agreed that it will be worthwhile for our three Societies to continue to organise such seminars in the future and, where feasible, to continue our tripartite cooperation more generally. Pia Koivunen (Senior Lecturer, European and World History, University of Turku), who delivered an impressive presentation at the seminar, has in fact agreed to deliver a Zoom talk to the Society in January 2025 on the History of Soviet and Russian Friendship Societies in Europe. Members of the Finnish and Danish Societies, with whom we have shared our New Year Talks Programme, are delighted to have been invited to attend this. |
Retirement of three Trustees and appointment of new Trustees |
At the Committee meeting on 6 August 2024 it was agreed, pursuant to the mandatory rotation provisions of the Society's Articles of Association, that Stuart Thom, Elisabeth Robson Elliot and Anne Bennigsen should retire as Trustees (each of them having served in that capacity for more than nine years) with effect from 20 August 2024. The Committee expressed its unreserved appreciation to each of these three Trustees for the immense contribution they had made to the Society, by virtue of the central role they had each fulfilled at various times - Stuart Thom as our former Chairman, Elisabeth Robson Elliot as our former Vice-Chairman and Anne Bennigsen as our former Hon. Treasurer - and also by dint of their valuable advice and support as members of the Committee. |
At the same Committee meeting it was agreed that Robert Whiteford, the Society's Hon. Treasurer since 1st July 2023, should be appointed as a Trustee with effect from 20 August 2024. It was agreed that further appointments would be made in due course. |
Disbursement of funds/sponsorship |
There are no items to report this year under this heading. |
East-West Review |
As members know, the Society's journal, East-West Review, is published three times a year. It is a highly regarded publication, which is stocked by the British Library and other national and University libraries throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland. I would like to pay tribute to the journal's Editor, Andrew Sheppard, for the meticulous care he takes with its production and publication and for having ensured that the New Year, Spring/Summer and Autumn editions of East-West Review in 2023 (Issues 64, 65 and 66) were all of the same outstanding quality as in previous years. Andrew would like to remind us that contributions from members are always welcome! |
Recording of Talks |
Of the 15 talks this year, 14 were recorded, including all seven of the Zoom talks and all seven of the hybrid talks. In every case, this was with the prior agreement of the speaker. These recordings all included the Q & A as well as the lecture itself: this did not appear to give rise to any problems. Indeed, the recording of talks has worked well in practice. The recordings, which are stored on the website, represent a valuable and accessible archive of material for the future. |
Closure of Twitter/X account and continuing use of Instagram |
I reported at the AMM in March 2024 that the Committee had decided to discontinue our use of Twitter/X for the time being. On 8 November 2024 we closed the Society's Twitter/X account definitively. Since February 2024 Des Hickey has been arranging for all GBRS talks to be posted on Instagram, with supporting images wherever possible. Our use of Instagram will be reviewed in due course. To-date, nothing untoward has arisen. |
Conclusion |
I have already paid tribute to the sterling work of Andrew Sheppard as the Editor of East-West Review. Particular thanks are also due to Robert Whiteford as our Hon. Treasurer for the professional way he has handled the Society's finances over the last year and for so conscientiously superintending the move to the new membership subscription rates and associated renewal process, thereby ensuring that so far as possible renewals took place at the new rate (this proved to be a very considerable administrative task). I am also grateful to Alla Potapova for her continuing support and assistance with the Talks Programme following Stephen Hall's resignation in January. But I would also wish to record my sincere appreciation of the hard work and unfailing support over the last year of all members of the Committee, whether this is in relation to communications with our members, publicity and marketing (for example, via Instagram), administrative and website issues, the Newsletter, the recording of talks, or Zoom-hosting. |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
Chairman's Report |
for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
As a charity, the Society remains entirely volunteer-run. As previously noted, this is a great strength in uncertain times. But I hope that members appreciate that the Great Britain-Russia Society will only continue to thrive and flourish if members regularly come forward to offer their time and skills, so as to refresh and develop the services which the Society offers. I would add that the Trustees and I are always open to any suggestions or ideas which members may have for the improvement and future development of the Society. |
David Brummell 31st December 2024 |
The Great Britain - Russia Society (Registered number: 08143145) |
Report of the Trustees |
for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30 June 2024. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019). |
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES |
Objectives and aims |
The charity's objects are to advance the education of the public in particular, but not exclusively, in the following: the historical background, culture, the economic, political, social and trends in the Russian Federation and in all the former Republics of the USSR by such charitable means as the executive committee sees fit from time to time. |
ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE |
The Great Britain Russia Society had another busy and successful year as described in the Chairman's report with a full programme of high-quality lectures, about half of which were on Zoom and half both in-person and online. Overall, the Society reported a small deficit of £156 for FY2024 (1st July 2023 to 30th June 2024), a slightly higher deficit than the previous financial (FY) which was only £3. |
The Society's total income from its activities was £8,425 a small decrease of 6% relative to the previous FY. The revenue from membership subscriptions and our talks' programme was £4,881 and £3,449 respectively. These figures represent reductions of 6% and 9% relative to the previous FY. |
The Society's total annual expenditure slightly reduced reduced to £12,128. This was due in part to our continuing relationship with King's College London (KCL), who allow us to use their premises without charge for joint events, reducing our 'venue hire' expenses. Also our IT requirements reduced by almost a half to £820 during this year. |
The production and distribution costs of our journal East-West Review, which represents 59% of our annual expenditure, continued to increase because of the rising costs of both printing and postage. |
Another significant operating expense for the Society is the cost of producing our accounts. These charges almost doubled in FY24 due to some charges being carried over from the previous FY and an increased fee of £600+VAT for an independent examiner to review the accounts. |
Dividend income from the Society's investment funds was £3,428 in FY24, a similar amount to FY23. The value of the investment funds themselves increased to £60,107 at 30 June 2024, an increase from £55,685 in the previous year. |
Gift Aid recognised during this year is zero due to on-going issues claiming this benefit. However there is a four year period allowed to claim Gift Aid from previous years so the claim will not be lost. Gift Aid's contribution is expected to be around £700 in the next financial year. |
FINANCIAL REVIEW |
Reserves policy |
The Society's total funds at 30 June 2024 were £82,145 an increase of 5% on the previous year when they were . £77,878. The Society's reserves are considered sufficient for its needs and in line with its reserves policy which aims to maintain sufficient funds to generate income to support its regular activities and future plans. |
FUTURE PLANS |
The Society plans to continue its full programme of lectures with a mixture of Zoom and hybrid events and to produce three issues of East-West Review a year. Expansion into other events/activities in line with its objective is also considered. A focus will be on continuing to reinforce the partnership that has been established with King's College London which allows the Society to hold its talks on their premises. Initially it was hoped that this relationship would lead to an increase in our younger membership but no obvious impact has yet been observed. |
The decision was taken to cancel our X (formerly Twitter) account but we continue to use our Instagram account for the time being. |
The periodic digital newsletter and archive of previous talks has been established in an attempt to broaden the reach of our activities and attract new members. Although not many historical talks have been purchased from our archive, some members do find the archive useful. |
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT |
Governing document |
The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. |
The Great Britain - Russia Society (Registered number: 08143145) |
Report of the Trustees |
for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS |
Registered Company number |
Registered Charity number |
Registered office |
Trustees |
Company Secretary |
Independent Examiner |
Hawksford UK Services Limited |
123 Pall Mall |
St. James's |
London |
SW1Y 5EA |
This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. |
Approved by order of the board of trustees on |
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of The Great Britain - Russia Society ('the Company') |
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 30 June 2024. |
Responsibilities and basis of report |
As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act'). |
Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity's accounts as carried out under Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act. |
Independent examiner's statement |
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe: |
1. | accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by Section 386 of the 2006 Act; or |
2. | the accounts do not accord with those records; or |
3. | the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of Section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or |
4. | the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities (applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)). |
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. |
Rebecca Cox |
Hawksford UK Services Limited |
123 Pall Mall |
St. James's |
London |
SW1Y 5EA |
21 February 2025 |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
Statement of Financial Activities |
for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
30.6.24 | 30.6.23 |
Unrestricted | Total |
fund | funds |
Notes | £ | £ |
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM |
Charitable activities |
Investment income | 2 |
Other income |
Total |
EXPENDITURE ON |
Raising funds |
Charitable activities |
Total |
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) | ( |
) | ( |
) |
Other recognised gains/(losses) |
Gains/(losses) on revaluation of fixed assets | ( |
) |
Net movement in funds | ( |
) |
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS |
Total funds brought forward |
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 77,878 |
The Great Britain - Russia Society (Registered number: 08143145) |
Balance Sheet |
30 June 2024 |
30.6.24 | 30.6.23 |
Unrestricted | Total |
fund | funds |
Notes | £ | £ |
FIXED ASSETS |
Investments | 5 |
CURRENT ASSETS |
Debtors | 6 |
Cash at bank |
CREDITORS |
Amounts falling due within one year | 7 | ( |
) | ( |
) |
NET CURRENT ASSETS |
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES |
NET ASSETS |
FUNDS | 8 |
Unrestricted funds | 77,878 |
TOTAL FUNDS | 77,878 |
The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 30 June 2024. |
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2024 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. |
The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for |
(a) | ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and |
(b) | preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company. |
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime. |
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
Notes to the Financial Statements |
for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
1. | ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
Basis of preparing the financial statements |
The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, with the exception of investments which are included at market value, as modified by the revaluation of certain assets. |
Income |
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably. |
Investment income is earned through holding assets for investment purposes such as shares. Where it is not practicable to identify investment management costs incurred within a scheme with reasonable accuracy the investment income is reported net of these costs. It is included when the amount can be measured reliably. Dividend is recognised as the charity's right to receive payment is established. |
Expenditure |
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. |
Taxation |
The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities. |
Fund accounting |
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees. |
Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. |
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements. |
Going concern |
There are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. |
2. | INVESTMENT INCOME |
30.6.24 | 30.6.23 |
£ | £ |
Investment fund dividends | 3,428 | 3,329 |
Deposit account interest |
3. | TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS |
There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 30 June 2024 nor for the year ended 30 June 2023. |
Trustees' expenses |
There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 30 June 2024 nor for the year ended 30 June 2023. |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued |
for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
4. | COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (2023) |
Unrestricted |
fund |
£ |
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM |
Charitable activities |
Investment income |
Total |
EXPENDITURE ON |
Raising funds |
Charitable activities |
Total |
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) | ( |
) |
Other recognised gains/(losses) |
Gains/(losses) on revaluation of fixed assets | ( |
) |
Net movement in funds | ( |
) |
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS |
Total funds brought forward |
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 77,878 |
5. | FIXED ASSET INVESTMENTS |
Listed |
investments |
£ |
MARKET VALUE |
At 1 July 2023 |
Revaluations |
At 30 June 2024 |
NET BOOK VALUE |
At 30 June 2024 | 60,107 |
At 30 June 2023 | 55,685 |
There were no investment assets outside the UK. |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued |
for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
5. | FIXED ASSET INVESTMENTS - continued |
Cost or valuation at 30 June 2024 is represented by: |
Listed |
investments |
£ |
Valuation in 2015 | 401 |
Valuation in 2016 | (1,773 | ) |
Valuation in 2017 | 6,210 |
Valuation in 2018 | 991 |
Valuation in 2019 | (1,483 | ) |
Valuation in 2020 | (12,230 | ) |
Valuation in 2021 | 9,982 |
Valuation in 2022 | (1,846 | ) |
Valuation in 2023 | (3,171 | ) |
Valuation in 2024 | 4,422 |
Cost | 58,604 |
60,107 |
The fair value of listed investments is determined by reference to the latest fund manager valuation. |
6. | DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR |
30.6.24 | 30.6.23 |
£ | £ |
Accrued income |
Prepayments |
7. | CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR |
30.6.24 | 30.6.23 |
£ | £ |
Trade creditors |
Deferred income |
Accrued expenses |
8. | MOVEMENT IN FUNDS |
Net |
movement | At |
At 1.7.23 | in funds | 30.6.24 |
£ | £ | £ |
Unrestricted funds |
General fund | 77,878 | 4,267 | 82,145 |
TOTAL FUNDS | 4,267 | 82,145 |
The Great Britain - Russia Society |
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued |
for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 |
8. | MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued |
Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: |
Incoming | Resources | Gains and | Movement |
resources | expended | losses | in funds |
£ | £ | £ | £ |
Unrestricted funds |
General fund | 11,971 | (12,127 | ) | 4,423 | 4,267 |
TOTAL FUNDS | ( |
) | 4,267 |
Comparatives for movement in funds |
Net |
movement | At |
At 1.7.22 | in funds | 30.6.23 |
£ | £ | £ |
Unrestricted funds |
General fund | 81,052 | (3,174 | ) | 77,878 |
TOTAL FUNDS | 81,052 | (3,174 | ) | 77,878 |
Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: |
Incoming | Resources | Gains and | Movement |
resources | expended | losses | in funds |
£ | £ | £ | £ |
Unrestricted funds |
General fund | 12,320 | (12,323 | ) | (3,171 | ) | (3,174 | ) |
TOTAL FUNDS | 12,320 | (12,323 | ) | (3,171 | ) | (3,174 | ) |
9. | RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES |