WASHNIGNTON, October 4. /TASS/. The Russian Embassy in Washington on Tuesday again published video footage of US officials breaking into the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco on Monday.
Earlier, US Department of State Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters that US officials "toured" the Russian diplomatic facilities in the past two days, describing their actions as a "walkthrough." Nauert also stated that the US side did not break locks of the Russian diplomatic facilities in San Francisco.
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"In this regard we would like to draw everyones attention (and especially Mrs Nauert's) to the following video evidence that clearly shows how US officials broke into our buildings. And what was called "walking through, looking around" lasted whole night," the Russian embassy said on its Facebook page.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed its resolute protest against what it described as the "latest hostile act of the United States."
"[We] reserve the right to respond. Reciprocity has always been a fundamental principle in diplomacy," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "As we see it, by breaking in into our foreign offices, the Americans have essentially agreed to the possibility of similar treatment of their representative offices in Russia."
On September 2, US authorities closed Russia’s consulate general in San Francisco, the trade mission in Washington and its office in New York. The former two facilities are Russian government property that enjoys diplomatic immunity. Moscow considers the seizure of its diplomatic property as an openly hostile act and calls on Washington to immediately return these facilities.
The US Department of State said earlier on Monday it had conducted "a walkthrough to secure the residential portions of the buildings and confirm that all residents had left the premises."
The Russian foreign ministry later posted on its Facebook page a video that shows several men examining the closed gate to one of the consulate general’s building, covering them with a veil from the camera. Once this done, another man is approaching them apparently to break the lock.