Putin considers drawing up list of 'unfriendly foreign states'

Restrictions are planned for their diplomatic missions, according to a Kremlin statement published on Friday evening. For example, the hiring of staff for the respective foreign missions and other state institutions in Russia is to be limited.

"If necessary," it should also be possible to impose a complete ban on hiring.

Putin instructed the Russian government to draw up a list of foreign states to which these restrictions should apply.

The restrictions refer exclusively to potential employees who are in Russia already, not to those who have traveled from the respective countries to work in the missions.

The Russian Foreign Ministry had already imposed punitive measures on the US and the Czech Republic diplomatic missions, in a spat that led to the mutual expulsion of diplomats.

Work for secret services

Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova justified this with a possible recruitment of Russian citizens by the Western embassies to work for the secret services of other states.

For many Russians, working in Western embassies is attractive because they often earn significantly more money there than on the Russian labour market.