U.S. Cuts Visa Services in Moscow as Russia Squeezes Embassy

  • Consular staff cut by 75% after Russian ban on local employees
  • Kremlin says ‘expected better’ from Biden’s first 100 days

The U.S. embassy in Moscow, Russia.

Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg
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The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said it would slash visa and consular services following a Russian ban on hiring local staff in the latest fallout from tensions between the former Cold War rivals.

The Russian hiring restriction will force a 75% cut in the consular work force, the embassy said in a website statement, and services will be restricted to a minimum starting May 12.