Russia accuses US of 'direct threat' to Russian citizens' security

As the United States special services plan to execute a search at the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco, the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday said, "the demands of the US authorities create a direct threat to the security of Russian citizens."

"Alongside, yet another raid on expensive objects of Russian state property, which [the US] has blocked and are now persistently offering to put up on sale, this time the demands of the US authorities pose a direct threat to security of Russian citizens," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, as quoted by Sputnik.

The US special services plan to execute a search at the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco on September 2, said the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday.

According to them, this search will include the apartments of diplomatic missions.

"US special services are intending to search the San Francisco Consulate General on September 2, including apartments of the staff members who live in the building and have immunity," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Zakharova added that the Russian personnel were told to leave the premises for 10-12 hours "so that they are not in the way of FBI agents," which according to her "is intrusion into a consul's establishment and homes of diplomatic staff."

FBI agents are poised to conduct the search, Zakharova said, noting that the searches directly compromise the workers' diplomatic immunity.

On Thursday (August 31), the United States demanded that Russia shut down its Consulate General in San Francisco and two other diplomatic facilities in New York City and Washington DC by September 2.

Commenting on the closure of Russia's diplomatic facilities in the US, Zakharova said, it "represents a new gross violation of international law, including US obligations under the Vienna Conventions on diplomatic and consular relations," adding that it undermines the potential for bilateral cooperation, including on urgent international issues.

Zakharova further said that Moscow strongly opposes the US State Department's decision to close down three Russian diplomatic compounds in the US.