The Russian government announced this Friday that Greece, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia have been added to the list of designated “enemy” countries, restricting these European countries from local recruitment for diplomatic or consular missions.
“The government has updated the list of foreign states that carry out ‘hostile’ actions against diplomatic and consular representatives. Greece, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia have been added to the list,” said a statement posted on the Moscow administration’s website.
This regulation limits the number of persons who may be employed in Russia by affected diplomatic missions.
The Greek embassy can employ up to 34 people, Denmark’s mission has 20 staff and Slovakia has only 16 locally employed.
Slovenia and Croatia are prohibited from recruiting personnel in Russia for diplomatic and consular work.
Moscow recalled that similar restrictions were imposed on the embassies of the United States and the Czech Republic last May.
Adoption of these types of limits, which include a total ban on local hiring of people in Russia, is contemplated in a decree on measures to respond to “hostile states” signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 23.
On March 5, nine days after a so-called Russian “special military operation” in Ukraine, Putin ordered the government to draw up a list of countries that had committed “hostile actions” against Russia.
A few days later, Russia ratified the list, which included EU member states Portugal, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.
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