The U.S. said it’s slashing visa services in Russia after the Kremlin ordered it to cut two-thirds of staff at its embassy and consulates as relations between the former Cold War rivals spiraled.
All non-immigrant visa operations will be halted from Aug. 23 and will resume “on a greatly reduced scale” from Sept. 1, with applicant interviews conducted solely in Moscow, the U.S. embassy said in a website statement. Non-immigrant visa interviews at the U.S. consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok “are suspended until further notice,” according to the statement.
