Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said Saturday that Russian diplomats working in Washington are receiving threats of violence and are also being approached by the FBI and CIA for information.
“It’s like a besieged fortress. Basically, our embassy is operating in a hostile environment … Embassy employees are receiving threats, including threats of physical violence,” Antonov said, according to Russia’s Tass news agency.
“Agents from US security services are hanging around outside the Russian embassy, handing out CIA and FBI phone numbers, which can be called to establish contact,” Antonov added.
Reuters contacted the CIA and FBI about Antonov’s remarks but declined to comment. The CIA has made it clear that the spy agency is looking to establish contacts with Russians by putting out instructions on its social media accounts in Russian on ways to communicate securely.
Antonov had previously said that since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, he has been denied meetings with high-level US officials, describing the situation as a “blockade.” The Biden administration has largely abandoned diplomacy with Moscow. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hasn’t spoken with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, since February 15.
If diplomacy is foresaken and open communication is hampered, then an environment of distrust will continue to grow… Diplomacy needs to be maintained, even if it has to be thru back channels. If not, a myriad of circumstances can evolve that could create dangerous footsteps into other areas and we will have all have a huge mess on our hands… Not something any of us should care to see, especially when dealing with nuclear countries…
It’s already here.
To me it sounds like Russia is afraid that its spies in the US will leave the sinking ship…
Russian agents might become double agents, whereas others just defect.
Yes, sure some Russians dipoles might go rogue, but this sort of double-dealing is a two way street. Enemy agents are anxious to make a big score, find or some other information which may be of great use, making them a more important asset to their group than others. But it is easy for the ambitious seeker of status and power to give away more than they get without having a clue of what or why what they let out was important. It is the ole “Never waste a crisis situation'” gone live!!! But in the end power triumphs and cheep diversions and lame attempts to counter a greater force, mostly end like dreams of winning the lottery with one ticket.
To me it sounds like Russia is afraid that its spies in the US will leave the sinking ship…
Russian agents might become double agents, whereas others just defect.
The U.S is a land without laws, only the simulacra of them.
All Russian diplomatic staff should leave the U.S immediately, if they value their lives.
Yes, … not only, FBI/CIA are trolling for dbl-agents and defectors and there’s likely beoucoup bucks on offer.
You think, if I moonlight as a Russian diplomat, I could siphon off some of those beaucoup bucks … ?
Then it would follow, that all American diplomatic staff should leave Russia immediately, if they value their lives…?????? Is this your plan to win this war, to threaten to kill the Russian dipoles in the U.S. And have Russia kill all the U.S. dipoles there…. Such escalations lead to further ones and Ukraine has none of the “Trump” cards in this game.which are the thermonuclear weapons. Russia has thousands & may gladly take full advantage of them for such a grave breach of Geneva Protocols. Let us hope such inanity never occurs in this situation!!!!!!!
Calm down, cornpop. It wasn’t a threat, it was a warning out of concern for Russian diplomats. Nobody gives a shit about the Geneva Protocols. If you doubt me, ask the israelis is Gaza.
(russian envoys) are receiving threats of violence and are also being approached by the FBI and CIA for information.
notice how this article worded that to make it seem as if the FBI & CIA are the ones making the threats of violence
Shows how desperately little US actually knows what is going on in the ukraine and the Russian strategy. Imagine then the level of Intel of the so called “experts”. What a joke.