Support The Moscow Times!

Russia Revokes U.S. Diplomats’ Parking Rights Amid Sanctions Spat

Road signs outside the US Embassy in Moscow Alexander Shcherbak / TASS

Russia has revoked parking rights for U.S. diplomatic staff as part of an ongoing diplomatic spat following new U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia last month, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported on Thursday.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed the new measures Thursday evening telling the news agency it planned to “raise the issue with the Russian Foreign Ministry.”

The Kommersant newspaper reported on Monday that the Foreign Ministry was preparing a response to the closure of its San Francisco consulate and annexes in New York and Washington D.C, including revoking U.S. diplomats’ parking rights.

Speaking at a press conference in Jordan, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would establish “what is called parity” in working conditions between Russian and U.S. diplomats in response to the closures.

Road traffic safety authorities on Thursday removed designated parking signs for American and British diplomatic employees in Yekaterinburg, the state-run TASS news agency reports.

U.S. consulate parking spaces in St. Petersburg on Sept. 13 were replaced by a pedestrian crossing sign and a sign allowing u-turns on Wednesday, RIA reports. "Parking in this place was illegal and prevented pedestrians from walking," a St. Petersburg city representative told the RBC news outlet.

Parking spaces were removed from the Vladivostok U.S. consulate the same day, a city representative told Kommersant.

Concrete barriers outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow are also set to be removed, RIA Novosti reports, adding that the local authorities say the move is in an effort to clear traffic.

“The Russian Embassy in Washington doesn’t have such structures," an unnamed diplomatic source told Kommersant. "And since the Americans are now achieving parity in everything, it seems that we will have to demolish these structures."

Washington’s decision to shutter Russian diplomatic properties comes after Russia’s Foreign Ministry instructed the U.S. diplomatic mission to Russia to reduce its staff.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more