This also involves the rapid issuing of visas for employees of the US missions in Russia from other countries who are to replace Russian personnel.
The Russian government had banned the US from employing staff who did not have a US passport. In Moscow, many foreign embassies are hiring Russian citizens to keep costs down. For many Russians, working in Western embassies is attractive because they often earn significantly better there than on the Russian labor market.
The US government had sharply criticized the employment ban for local employees. Unfortunately, this is forcing the US to part with 182 local employees and dozens of contract partners at the embassy in Moscow and other diplomatic locations in the country, and is hindering US diplomatic work in Russia.
At the same time, the Russian Foreign Office emphasized that constructive work was only possible “on a mutual basis” without unilateral concessions. Russia recently complained of problems with issuing visas for its own staff in the USA. The Russian ambassador Anatoly Antonov complained, for example, that the US authorities were canceling valid visas for the spouses and children of employees of the Russian diplomatic mission without explaining the reasons for the refusal. The US State Department denied the allegations and promised to follow the usual rules when issuing visas.
Deportation of diplomats and imposition of sanctions
Diplomatic turmoil between Moscow and Washington has been going on for some time: in April, in retaliation for hacker attacks and meddling in US elections, the US expelled ten Russian diplomats and imposed new sanctions. Russia responded by expelling ten US diplomats and imposing sanctions on the US. In addition, the government in Moscow issued an entry ban for high-ranking US government officials.
