Diplomatic mission is impossible: 22 embassies and consulates of the Russian Federation have been closed since 2022

In unfriendly countries, 22 foreign institutions of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been closed since the beginning of its operation, and restrictions on the number of staff have been imposed on the remaining ones. This was reported to Izvestia by the Ministry's Information and Press department. Mass expulsions, the increasing complexity of consular work, and the increased visa processing time have become part of the daily reality of Russian diplomacy in the West. On Diplomatic Worker's Day, which is celebrated in Russia on February 10, Izvestia examined how Russian representatives are adapting to new conditions and what new restrictions the West is imposing.

How are Russian diplomats working in the West now?

Russian diplomacy has faced unprecedented challenges since the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis in 2014. Over the past 12 years, expulsions, accusations of espionage, and non-admission to international meetings have become the new norm for employees working in unfriendly states. Over the past four years, the pressure has increased significantly.

— Since February 2022, at the initiative of the authorities of a number of unfriendly states, 22 foreign institutions of the Russian Foreign Ministry have ceased operations, and quotas on the number of staff have been introduced for those still operating. These decisions affected more than 300 employees of the Ministry, the Department of Information and Press (DIP) told Izvestia The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ministry noted that some of them continued to work in Russia, most went on business trips abroad, including to new foreign institutions that opened during this period in various countries: nine embassies, seven consulates general and four embassy branches.

The biggest blow fell on Russian foreign institutions in Europe. In Germany, four of the five consulates general were closed — in Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich and Frankfurt am Main. Consulates in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have stopped working in the Baltic States, and offices in Finland and Sweden in Northern Europe.

Russian citizens have felt the effects of the cuts. In Lithuania, for example, the functions of the closed Consulate General in Klaipeda are now performed by the consular department at the Embassy in Vilnius. Residents of the country have to wait longer for an appointment, pay for the forwarding of documents, and limited flights between Russia and Lithuania make it more difficult to obtain passports.

In Poland, the last working consulate General was closed in December 2025, and the consular department at the embassy in Warsaw is still operating. In Finland, services are available in Helsinki and Mariehamn. In the Czech Republic, after the closure of the consulates in Brno and Karlovy Vary, Russians are redirected to Prague, and in Sweden to Stockholm.

Andrey Baklanov, Deputy Chairman of the Association of Russian Diplomats and Professor at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, noted that Russian foreign institutions have historically been optimally formed in terms of the number of political, economic and consular sections.

"The reduction, of course, affects the possibility of providing consular assistance, and consular assistance includes harsh things, there are some unfair encroachments on the rights of our citizens, and so on," he told Izvestia.

Increased pressure and insulation

According to the Izvestia source, in the context of a reduction in the number of foreign institutions and staff, the waiting time for diplomatic visas to European countries has significantly increased. In some cases, the registration process can take up to a year or more, which creates serious difficulties for employees planning business trips abroad.

Individual diplomats face direct pressure and demonstrative hostility from local authorities and the public. So, in the first months after the start of his mission, the Russian Ambassador to Poland, Sergei Andreev, found himself in an extremely difficult situation. On May 9, 2022, in Warsaw, a diplomat was attacked when he went to lay flowers at the cemetery of Soviet soldiers: protesters poured red liquid over the diplomat. Later, the bank accounts of the Russian embassy were frozen, insurance companies refused to service its cars, and local institutions limited the provision of services, which effectively isolated the work of the diplomatic mission.

In the progress of the dialogue: the Russian Federation and the United States remain committed to restoring the work of embassies

The suspension of the issuance of immigration visas to Russians does not affect this process.

The difficulties for Russian diplomats do not end there. At the beginning of this year, the restrictions adopted as part of the 19th package of sanctions that restrict their movement within the EU came into force. When traveling within the Schengen area outside the country of accreditation, diplomats are required to notify the authorities of other states in advance. The EU explained the new restrictions by the need to raise awareness of foreign civil servants "against the background of growing hostile intelligence activities."

In addition, reports periodically appear in the media about instructions that recommend that European diplomats avoid events where their colleagues from Russia participate.

A turn towards friendly countries

The reduction of contacts with the West has become an incentive for the reorientation of Russian diplomacy towards the countries of the Global South. Moscow is gradually increasing its presence in regions where it previously had limited connections. Moreover, these states are becoming new centers of power both economically and politically.

— Countries such as the People's Republic of China, India, and Brazil are rising. Interesting processes are taking place on the African continent due to the fact that Africans no longer want to export their natural resources, but rather build their own industry, which the Soviet Union began to help them with. Many centers of rapid economic growth, centers of power, financial and political influence have emerged. The world is being reformatted," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier.

Expanding the diplomatic network in Asia and Africa requires time and expertise. It is difficult to quickly redirect exiled diplomats to new regions — knowledge of languages and regional specifics is needed.

— We have been systematically working on this for several years. A lot has already been done, both in terms of reorientation and in terms of transferring a number of diplomats to eastern destinations. We are currently expanding the number of embassies in African countries, and the number of trade missions is increasing by 15, where diplomats and qualified international specialists can also work," said Andrei Baklanov.

At the same time, the analyst noted that the policy of the elites of unfriendly countries negatively affects the fate of diplomats who have devoted many years to developing ties with Western countries, forcing them to adapt to new geographical and professional conditions.

Nevertheless, Russia is already implementing a program to expand its presence in Africa. Embassies in Niger, Sierra Leone and South Sudan have been opened in the past year. Next up are the Gambia, Liberia, Togo and the Comoros. In 2023, Thailand hosted the grand opening of the Russian Consulate General in Phuket, which was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.