The diplomatic mission will retain 120 employees. At the same time, the total ceiling on the permissible number of employees for both the American and Russian diplomatic missions in the U.S. remains the same – 455 people
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Starting from August 1, the US Embassy in Russia will keep 120 employees as a minimum for the last five years. The move follows restrictions imposed by the Russian authorities on the employment of Russian and third-country nationals in response to anti-Russian sanctions announced by Washington in April. At the time, the US side once again expelled 10 Russian diplomats, claiming they were allegedly linked to Russian intelligence services.
At the same time, the total ceiling on the permissible number of staff for both the US and Russian diplomatic missions in the US remains the same – 455 people.
Moscow has repeatedly told Washington that it is ready to accept diplomats and other embassy staff sent from the United States. Among others, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov spoke about this. However, according to the currently available data, the US side did not send requests for diplomatic visas. This, in particular, was pointed out by the Russian ambassador to the US, Anatoliy Antonov, in July.