The head of Russian Trade Mission in the United States described the searches of the mission's premises in Washington, DC that began on Saturday as an "illegal takeover," adding that they violate international law, APA reports quoting Sputnik.
The searches have begun in the Russian Trade Representation in Washington, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Saturday.
The staff of the Russian Embassy were allowed to be present during the searches of the premises of the Russian Trade Representation in Washington, DC, Nikolay Lakhonin, the press secretary of the embassy, told Sputnik on Saturday.
"The staff of the embassy were allowed to be present at the searches after the Russian side had strongly insisted on it," Lakhonin said.
Earlier in the day, Lakhonin said that the searches in the building of the trade mission in Washington, which is to be shut down along with two other Russian diplomatic properties, would begin at 2 p.m. local time (18:00 GMT).
Earlier this week, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated the US security services planned to carry out searches in the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco, including its employees' apartments, on Saturday. The US State Department declined to comment on the information.
On Thursday, the State Department announced the United States required the Russian government to close three diplomatic facilities by September 2. Per the US demand, Russia must close its consulate-general in San Francisco and trade missions in New York and Washington, DC.
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