MOSCOW, July 5. /TASS/. Russia’s Consulate General in the Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif has temporarily halted its operations because of the worsening situation in northern Afghanistan, Russian Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan and Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second Asian Department Zamir Kabulov told TASS on Monday.

"Yes," he said responding to a question on the issue.

"The situation in unstable, the Afghan troops have surrendered too many districts. Naturally, that triggers anxiety. So, many consulates [of other countries in Mazar-e-Sharif] have temporarily suspended their work pending clarification of the situation," he emphasized.

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow was keeping a close eye on the intensification of the activity by the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) in a number of Afghanistan’s regions, especially in its northern and northeastern provinces but was not inclined to exaggerate the situation.