(Bloomberg) -- Russia is asking the U.S. embassy to lift the diplomatic immunity of three employees accused of theft, Interfax reported, citing the Foreign Ministry in Moscow.
The Foreign Ministry said the three will have to leave Russia if the U.S. doesn’t remove their protected status, Interfax reported. They are suspected of stealing personal items from a Russian citizen, the news service said.
Tensions between Moscow and Washington have escalated since President Joe Biden met Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Geneva in June. With relations at the lowest in decades, the two sides have also been locked in a struggle over the number of diplomats working in each other’s embassies. In April, Russia banned the U.S. from employing its citizens, forced the embassy in Moscow to cut consular staff by 75%.
