Britain vows to defy Russian order to shutter cultural organization offices

The British Embassy in Moscow said Tuesday it would defy a Russian order to close two offices of a British cultural organization.

The refusal to shut the British Council offices in the cities of St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg could prompt another confrontation with Russian authorities. Tension between the nations has been driven to a high point by discord over the killing in Britain of former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko.

Russia last month ordered the offices to be closed as of Jan. 1, saying the British Council's offices outside Moscow were operating illegally. Russian officials have long claimed the council is a for-profit organization …