The US plans to close the remaining consulates in Russia

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In a Dec. 10 notice, the US State Department informed Congress that it plans to close the consulate in Vladivostok and suspend operations at the consulate in Yekaterinburg.

Their closure would leave the US with only one diplomatic outpost in Russia – the US Embassy in Moscow – at a time of heightened tensions between the two nations, and the notice comes as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take the helm of the US . government.
This week – after the notice was sent to Congress – news surfaced of a widespread, ongoing cyber attack against numerous federal government agencies and a number of Fortune 500 companies. The attack is suspected to be linked to Russia.

According to the notice, a copy of which was obtained by CNN on Friday, the State Department said it “ plans to take these steps in response to ongoing personnel problems for the U.S. mission in Russia in the wake of the Russian-imposed staff cap of 2017. on the US mission and the resulting standoff with Russia on diplomatic visas. “

A State Department spokesman confirmed the intended steps, saying that “ The Secretary of State, in close consultation with Ambassador John Sullivan, has decided to close the U.S. Consulate General in Vladivostok and close operations at the U.S. Consulate General. in Yekaterinburg as part of our ongoing efforts to ensure the safe and secure operation of the US diplomatic mission in the Russian Federation. “

“The ministry’s decision on US consulates in Russia was taken to optimize the work of the US mission in Russia,” the spokesman said Friday. “The resulting redeployment of personnel at the US Embassy in Moscow will enable us to advance our foreign policy interests in Russia in the most effective and secure way.”

“No action is planned with regard to Russian consulates in the United States,” they added.

The congressional notice stated that 10 US diplomats assigned to the consulates will be reassigned to the embassy in Moscow and the 33 locally employed employees will be fired. The report said that once the congressional notification procedure was completed, the consulates “with the support of the Moscow embassy, ​​intend to initiate procedures to remove all sensitive material from the consulate, including computer equipment and controlled consular equipment.”

The department temporarily halted operations at the consulate in Vladivostok in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. In retaliation, the Russian government enforced the closure of the US consulate in St. Petersburg in 2018. Now, with the planned closure of the remaining two consulates – which was first reported by the Associated Press – all services for US citizens will be leaving Moscow.
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The State Department told lawmakers that “the planned shutdown would not adversely affect the mission’s ability to advance core US interests, assist US citizens, or adequately monitor the programs,” because all these functions through the US Embassy in Moscow. “

It’s unclear when the closings will be completed or if they will be completed before Biden takes office next month. The president-elect has said he and his team are preparing a “cost-cutting strategy” to respond to Russia for its disruptive measures, including the cyber attack if Moscow is held responsible. Those measures include, but are not limited to, sanctions, according to a source close to Biden.

CNN’s Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.

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