Russia officially recognized the United States as a 'unfriendly country': what it means and who else is on the list

Russia has added to its list of "unfriendly countries", along with the United States there was the Czech Republic. Writes about it with the BBC.

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Being included in this list will primarily affect the work of the diplomatic missions of these countries - their ability to hire local personnel is limited.

According to the decree, the Czech Embassy can employ 19 people in Russia, and the United States can employ none.

In the published list, there are no other countries, except for the Czech Republic and the USA. Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that the limited list of unfriendly states "underlines Moscow's readiness for dialogue."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic stated that the Russian Federation’s decision to add the country to such a list is an escalation of relations not only with the Czech Republic, but also with the entire European Union (EU).

The fact that the United States will be on the list of "unfriendly" states, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova announced at the end of April.

On the subject: Czech Republic paid compensation to Russian hacker and apologized for extradition to the United States

“You will find out the rest of the states when the government order is published and the corresponding list becomes available,” Zakharova added.

On April 23, the Russian president signed a decree according to which states "committing unfriendly actions" against Russia will be restricted in their right to hire Russian citizens.

The President also provided for the possibility of a complete ban on the employment of Russians in the embassies of such states: if it is introduced, they will be able to provide their work only at the expense of their own citizens.

Diplomatic conflict with the Czech Republic

The Czech authorities accused the Russian special services of involvement in an explosion at an ammunition depot in 2014. On the day of the explosion, alleged GRU officers, known as Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, were in the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic declared 18 Russian diplomats persona non grata, while Moscow expelled 20 Czech diplomats in response.

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Later, the Czech Republic demanded that the Russian embassy in Prague reduce its staff to the number of Czech diplomats remaining in Moscow by the end of May. Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulganek said that 63 employees of the Russian embassy would be expelled from the country.

Russia also demanded "to reduce the number of members of the Czech Embassy in Moscow, taking into account the significant disparity in the category of those received locally," that is, employees with Russian citizenship.

First Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Jan Hamacek, commenting on Moscow's decision to include the Czech Republic in the list of "unfriendly" countries, said that such actions by Russia confirm that Prague acted correctly in the Vrbetice case.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• 23 April Putin signed a decree according to which the embassies of states "committing unfriendly actions" against Russia will be limited in the right to hire Russian citizens.
• The decree was issued against the backdrop of deteriorating relations between the Russian Federation and the United States, a number of European countries, as well as the diplomatic conflict with the Czech Republic, whose authorities suspected Russia of involvement in the explosions of ammunition depots in 2014, and announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats. In response, Moscow also expelled employees of the Czech embassy.
• In April, the President of the United States Joe Biden imposed new sanctions against Russia and stated that it is a response to cyberattacks and attempts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.
• Thereafter Washington and Moscow exchanged expelled diplomats.
• Among other things, the Russian Foreign Ministry recommended that US Ambassador John Sullivan leave for Washington "for consultations." Sullivan initially refused to leave Russia, but on April 22 it became known that he flew to the USA.
• Earlier RF closed the US Consulate in Vladivostok, and the diplomatic mission in Yekaterinburg stopped serving US citizens and stopped issuing visas. This means that except at the Moscow Embassy, ​​Russian citizens have nowhere else to obtain a visa to enter the United States, and United States citizens have nowhere else to turn for help.
• Already on April 30, it became known that USA stopped issuing visas in Moscow, after which the Russians have nowhere else to get them. And on May 14, the US Embassy temporarily resumed issuing visas.

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Czech Republic paid compensation to Russian hacker and apologized for extradition to the United States

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