Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many UK nationals are detained in (a) Russia and (b) Belarus; and what consular support is provided to them.

The FCDO is currently aware of fewer than 5 British nationals detained in Russia, and are providing consular assistance. According to our records, there are currently no British nationals detained in Belarus. However, British nationals are not obliged to inform the FCDO of their detention. We provide tailored consular assistance in line with our public guidance, found on Gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/arrested-or-detained-abroad), which sets out the support British nationals can expect to receive. This can include meeting with the detainee; offering support to their family; providing a list of English-speaking lawyers and basic information about the local system in the form of our local prisoner pack; facilitating the transfer of funds for prison comforts; and raising concerns with the local authorities where the detainee is not treated in line with internationally-accepted standards.