The Kremlin took a measure against the United States that it did not dare to take even during the 2016 crisis.

The suspension of the Anglo-American School in Moscow, which taught the children of diplomats from the US, Great Britain and Canada and foreign employees of various business organizations, demonstrates the depth of the crisis in relations between Russia and the West. After the collapse of the USSR, the possible closure of the school was discussed only once - in 2016, after the United States responded to possible Russian interference in the elections with the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats, unprecedented at that time.

Details. The Tushinsky District Court of Moscow on March 31 decided to suspend the work of the Anglo-American School of Moscow, founded in 1949 by the governments of the United States, Great Britain and Canada, for 90 days. The reason for this was an inspection conducted by the prosecutor's office on February 28 this year. The law enforcers found that teachers “without documents confirming the availability of professional education and relevant qualifications” were allowed to work at the school under the program of additional education, follows from the decision in one of the two cases considered by the Tushinsky court in relation to the school. They were instituted in cases of violation of the requirements for educational activities (Article 19.20 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, parts 1, 3).

• In addition, the school did not develop additional educational programs based on the "international baccalaureate" programs of study and the educational standards of the Common Core State Standard, the ruling says. The decision to impose an administrative penalty in the second case is being prepared for publication.
• This is not the first attempt by the Russian authorities to interfere with the work of the Anglo-American School, which has about 1,200 children. In July 2019, 30 school teachers were unable to obtain work visas. According to The New York Times sources among American officials, this move was an attempt to exert political pressure on Washington. By August, 7 out of 30 teachers were still able to obtain entry visas. According to Bloomberg, the resumption of visa issuance occurred shortly after a telephone conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
• In September 2018, stopped the Anglo-American School in St. Petersburg, founded in 1975 on the model of the Moscow one, studied working, where about 140 children . The official reason was the end of the school building lease.
• In 2016, after the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats from the US by the Obama administration on suspicion of interfering in US elections, Russian authorities decided to close the school as part of a retaliatory measure, CNN reported, citing an anonymous US official. The next day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that the school would not close.

Context. The suspension of the school demonstrates the depth of the crisis in Russian-American relations. This time, the Russian authorities decided to do something that they did not even do in 2016.

• The suspension of the school came just days after the arrest in Russia of The Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, the first such case since 1986.
• American basketball player Brittney Griner, released in December from a Russian prison in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout, called on the Biden administration to use "every possible tool" to secure Gershkovich's release.