Moscow on Thursday announced that British diplomats working in Russia will need to notify authorities in advance about their movements around the country.
Russia’s foreign ministry said it had summoned Britain’s charge d’affaires Tom Dodd to inform him of a “notification procedure for the movement of employees of British diplomatic missions on the territory of our country”.
A statement said the measures were in response to the “hostile actions” of London, a key ally of Ukraine, and British measures “hindering the normal operation of Russian foreign mission in the UK”.
The procedure will be required for “accredited personnel” of the British embassy in Moscow and the consulate general in Yekaterinburg, in the Urals.
It will not apply to the British ambassador and a few other senior diplomats.
The diplomats will need to give authorities notice of at least five working days of travel outside the “120-kilometre (75-mile) free movement zone”, the ministry said.
This should include “information about the timings, purpose, type of trip, planned business contacts, accompanying persons, mode of transport, places of visit and accommodation as well as the route of the trip”.
