Grind and check

In Moscow, they consider the “occupation” of the actions of the US authorities in the Russian diplomatic mission closed at Washington. This was stated by the deputy head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Sergei Ryabkov, Interfax reports .

“We insist that being without the consent of the legal owner in such premises and in this territory is the occupation,” said Ryabkov. “This term is quite applicable to what the Americans did. We will insist on this, and the Americans are also said about it.”

The deputy minister does not agree with the statements of the American side that inspections and inspections were conducted in the buildings of diplomatic agents, not searches. "The agents of the American special services entered the territory with diplomatic and consular immunity, began to open cabinets and boxes, look into all rooms, shoot ceiling panels - what, inspection? I do not know what they call a search, if this is just an inspection," Ryabkov said.

“Once again, it is necessary to say that the inspection is done when the owner of the facility allows for such events, and the inspection is a mutual vision of certain places and objects, as is the case in the field of control of weapons,” the deputy minister said. “Coordination of the conditions of the inspection takes months, if not years, and is recorded in special documents, in protocols to contracts and so on.”

Meanwhile, on the eve of a briefing, the press secretary of the State Department, Heather Neurt, said that the United States did not want to continue the exchange of unfriendly measures with Russia. According to her, the states reached the lowest point in relations. At the same time, Neurt noted that there are many areas in which the United States can cooperate with Russia. As an example, she cited the Russian-American armistice in Syria, which has been going on for several weeks.

On August 31, the American authorities demanded from Russia until September 2 to close the Consulate General in San Francisco , as well as a trade mission in Washington and its branch in New York. It was noted that this is a response to the requirements of Russia on reducing staff of American diplomatic agents. “We believe that this action was unreasonable and is damaged by the common relations between our countries,” said the press secretary of the State Department of Hiser Neurt.

On September 1, the Consulate General in San Francisco stopped receiving visitors . A thick black smoke was noticed, rising from the pipe of the building. Firefighters who arrived at the Consulate General building did not let them go inside and assured that everything was in order. In the courtyard of the Russian trade representative office in Washington, fire was also noticed. One could see how employees throw some papers into a bonfire diluted in the backyard.

On September 2, the access of Russian diplomats to the buildings was discontinued. The liberated premises were examined by the FBI agents . In the US State Department, the event was called bypass, clarifying that it was held together with representatives of the Russian embassy. Meanwhile, in the Russian Foreign Ministry, what was happening was called a "search", and the United States was accused of "violation of international law and its own legislation."

On Tuesday, Vladimir Putin, at a press conference at the Summit, called the US actions unprecedented and stated that the Americans were behaving in a prison , demonstrating the "low level of political culture." The Russian president instructed the Ministry of Defense through the court to challenge Washington’s decision on the ban on Russian diplomats to use three buildings. In addition, Putin threatened to additionally reduce the staff of the American diplomatic mission by another 155 people.