US special services intend to search at Russian Consulate premises

The United States 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, as quoted by Sputnik.

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."

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.

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