Russia San Francisco Consulate

Russia protested to the United States on Wednesday after it said Russian flags were stolen from its consulate in San Francisco.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said U.S. officials had broken into residences at Russia's consulate in San Francisco, and threatened retaliation over what it called an illegal act.

Russian diplomats vacated three properties in the United States on Saturday including the six-story consulate in San Francisco, complying with a US order issued in retaliation for Moscow cutting the American diplomatic presence in Russia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow would respond harshly to US measures designed to hurt it, a day after the United States told Russia to close its San Francisco consulate and buildings in Washington and New York.

The United States on Thursday ordered Russia to close its consulate in San Francisco and two other installations in two days, a move Moscow greeted with "regret," as relations between the nuclear-armed powers took another dive.

The United States on Thursday ordered Russia to close its consulate in San Francisco as well as two annexes in Washington and New York in two days, in a tit-for-tat response to Moscow's drastic reduction of US diplomatic staff in their country.

Russia protested to the United States on Wednesday after it said Russian flags were stolen from its consulate in San Francisco.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said U.S. officials had broken into residences at Russia's consulate in San Francisco, and threatened retaliation over what it called an illegal act.

Russian diplomats vacated three properties in the United States on Saturday including the six-story consulate in San Francisco, complying with a US order issued in retaliation for Moscow cutting the American diplomatic presence in Russia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow would respond harshly to US measures designed to hurt it, a day after the United States told Russia to close its San Francisco consulate and buildings in Washington and New York.

The United States on Thursday ordered Russia to close its consulate in San Francisco and two other installations in two days, a move Moscow greeted with "regret," as relations between the nuclear-armed powers took another dive.

The United States on Thursday ordered Russia to close its consulate in San Francisco as well as two annexes in Washington and New York in two days, in a tit-for-tat response to Moscow's drastic reduction of US diplomatic staff in their country.