Four services a week will start on October 12 with fares from £35 one way.

St Petersburg is a Unesco World Heritage site and considered Russia’s cultural capital. It is home to the Hermitage, one of the world’s largest art museums.

Pobeda was set up in 2014 and currently has a fleet of 22 aircraft. It carried five million passengers last year to 85 destinations.

Stansted chief commercial officer Aboudy Nasser said: “This exciting new service will provide very cost effective and convenient direct access to St Petersburg from Stansted for the first time.

"I’m sure the route will be well received with business passengers from across London and the east of England looking to access Russia’s second largest city, and also prove to be very popular with leisure passengers eager to explore the culture and history of this world-renowned city.”

Pobeda Airlines general director Andrey Kalmykov added: “We are very pleased to launch our new service to London Stansted and connect the great city of St Petersburg with London, Cambridge and the wider east of England, and I’m sure our low-fares will ensure the flights enjoy strong demand from UK passengers.”